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Cedric Coward has had a whirlwind of a rookie season, navigating constant Ja Morant trade rumors, the stunning departure of his most influential mentor in Jaren Jackson Jr., and the pressures of immediate NBA production. On the court, he's exceeded expectations quickly, averaging over 13.3 ppg and 6.2 rpg on 46.8 percent shooting, production that earned him a spot in the Rising Stars game in Los Angeles.
While in town for All-Star Weekend, Coward stopped by the Panini Prizm VIP lounge, where he spoke in depth about the adjustments of his rookie year, why he wants to work out with Kawhi Leonard, the public misconceptions about Morant, where he was when Jackson was traded, and more.
Cedric Coward: It's going along great. It's filled with ups and downs, but at the same time, I think it's on the uptrend. I'm super happy. I'm super blessed to be here to be a part of this entire thing, especially All-Star Weekend, being one of the select few, but the job's not done. I still got much more I need to do.
CC: I think it's been an ongoing conversation we've been having. Like I said, I trust them. I trust the training staff. I trust Coach because if you really think about it, I didn't even play a college season last year. I only played six games. So I was still in like catch-up mode and going from six games to almost a year layoff, to trying to play 82, that takes a toll on your body. But at the same time, I do as much as I can to help mediate that process so I can play each and every game possible. But at the same time, I trust those guys. I trust everybody in that room right there. And then it's ongoing conversations we have all the time.
CC: I think it was one of our third or fourth back-to-back. You're not used to playing a back-to-back unless you're in AAU. But that's once every weekend, maybe. But in the NBA, it can come up quick. You can play four games in five days. So I ended up playing in a back-to-back, and I didn't feel as tired as I did in the previous back-to-back. So I was like, "Oh, okay, cool. I'm starting to get used to the grind, and how to take better care of your body, and how to really manage sleep." And all these different things that help you perform that and become way, way better at it.
CC: Oh, I knew I belonged in the league when I got drafted. Not to be arrogant, but at the same time, when I got drafted, I felt a sense of like, "I deserved to be here." It took so much hard work to get to this point, just like everyone else, but what I went through personally - you’re climbing mountains, not hills but just climbing mountains.
CC: Nah, man, you gotta be a little crazy to realize and accomplish your dreams. I never had any doubt in myself. I never had any doubt in what was happening. Obviously, there was a lot of roadblocks in the way, but at the same time, you just gotta get around it.
I'm super blessed. I have great people in my corner that kept encouraging me, making sure I was taking care of business, especially after the shoulder injury. And I have a great team of agency and team around me as well that got my name out there enough. So now all I had to do was go perform on the court. All I did was wanna make an impact. I wasn't trying to go out and score a certain amount of points, get a certain amount of rebounds, nothing. I just wanted to go make an impact and do what I can on the court to help the team win. If I score 50 or if I score five, as long as we win, that's the only thing I care about.
CC: What do you define as a bad game, though? Because if you score a lot of points and you lose, it can say you had a good game because you scored a lot of points, but you lost. Or if you score a little amount of points and you win, you can say you had a bad game because you scored a little amount of points, but you won.
So for me, I always go and base the game I had on the result first and just the process of the game. If I was getting the shots I wanted and I was making the right passes and maybe stuff didn't fall, and I had three points and I was 2 for 10, but I got the shot that I wanted, I'll say it's a decent game. Now I just got to make the shots.
CC: You're playing with the best players in the world. I mean, basketball is a very fine line between the best players in the world and the ones who are in the NBA but aren't up to that caliber yet. But it's a huge gap between NBA players and everybody else. So going from college, not playing since November, and then my first game being back, being in the NBA was a complete and total adjustment. You had to go out there with confidence and you have to go out there with a sense of belonging or else you will get embarrassed. But at the same time, for me, that's probably the biggest adjustment, understanding that this caliber of players is everybody, one through 15, not one through five. And then you have the drop of knowledge, one through 15.
CC: Yes, I have. We played the Warriors. Steph Curry hit me with a surplus of dribble moves, stepped back three on the left wing, and splashed it. And then did his little shimmy thing, running back down the court. And for me, watching on TV, it seemed so fun. It seemed so cool. But then getting scored on, I was like, 'Yeah, this not that fun anymore.'
CC: Nothing to that status because I felt like I was right there in his face and it didn't matter. And I was like, this was legit, he just didn't see me. When I was guarding KD, he just shot over me. Like I've never had anybody do that in my life. But you know, those Hall-of-Fame caliber players, man.
CC: Yeah, for sure. The time I asked if I can work out with him, he said, 'Yeah, let's do it.' And then the next time I saw him, I asked again and made sure like it was okay. Now we just got to get connected. But honestly, man, I live by the motto, closed mouths don't get fed. And for me, I'm compared to him a lot. And obviously, there's one Kawhi Leonard, and then there's one Cedric Coward. But at the same time, if I can learn from greats like that, if I can learn from guys that are All-Stars and I can add what they have into my game and mold myself with them along with many others, then that can only be beneficial.
So even if I look like a PR dude at the time, that's okay. He didn't deny me, so it's cool.
CC: Not really. But there's definitely a list, there's definitely so many people I do want to work with and want to gain as much knowledge from. Not only mentally but physically understanding how they take care of their body. I mean, LeBron is in year 23. One of my things is, I want to understand when I'm able to have a conversation with him how he took care of his body.
Obviously you hear the stories but it's better to hear from the source. Obviously you look what drills Steph Curry does to get shots, especially guarded. What drills or what footwork does Kevin Durant do? There’s so many things from so many different people that I would like to take and I’m just waiting for the opportunity.
CC: Not one particular one. There was, but unfortunately, he's passed away, and that was Kobe Bryant.
CC: Man, I miss Trip tremendously. Didn't know him for long in terms of actual time of the relationship, but it feels like I've known him forever. Just because I was a lot like him and he was a lot like me. We're goofy people. We're the life of the party in terms bringing energy to the room. And honestly, he was like my first vet. He was the one that really would drop random bits of knowledge on me all the time. I would really listen because he's been successful in this league. I mean, All-NBA, All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year... You should listen to guys like that. And for me, whenever he would drop that knowledge on me, I felt like I needed to listen to it because he doesn't have to do this.
But I want all the best for him, man, for the rest of his career, for everything. We're keeping in touch and making sure that he plays great throughout the whole season until he plays us. And then he has a bad game. But then, besides that, man, that's my guy.
CC: I was right next to him. We were walking up the stairs, going to practice, and next thing you know, he's turning around, walking down the stairs. And I was like, "Oh, okay, what's going on?" Next thing you know, you hear the news from our coaches. And then we just shared a moment in the locker room. You're like brothers, man. And that's where all my teammates, Vince [Williams], Jock [Landale], Jitty [John Konchar], like all of them, like you share a moment with those guys, like understanding what they meant to you. Even though you didn't know them long, they got a special place in my heart for sure.
CC: Yeah, it depends what people think about him. If you want to say all the negative connotations about him, you're dead wrong and you need to keep your thoughts to yourself. Ja is one of the best people I've ever met. One of the best people to be around. He's the same way, goofy - we quote movies all the time. I mean, he's always cracking jokes.
What people portray him to be is not what he is. He'll take care of you in terms of like, when we had the ice storm, he offered to buy my groceries, just little things like that he doesn't have to do, but he does out of the kindness of his own heart and just taking care of people, just because that's who he is. That's like his nature. And then at the same time, he's just a great person to be around. Like I tell people all the time, he's one of the people I'd bring to my cookout, you know, and you'd be like, "Hey man, come on through." You know what I'm saying? And everybody would love him.
CC: Ah, man. A lot of old school movies. I say 'Friday'. Friday's probably a good one. I mean, we've quoted like 'Paid in Full' before, we've quoted 'Juice', we've quoted so many things I can't even name them. But 'Friday' is probably the most recent one I can remember.
CC: I'm out here with Panini at the Prizm Lounge they got here in LA, signing cards, meeting new people, meeting the same people I already knew, and building relationships and just having fun in the process.
CC: Me personally, I didn't, but I know many, many people who did. My grandpa is one of them. Very close. So the fact that I can sign my own cards and he collects them, and I'd be a part of the collection, is super special to me. He's out here in LA too, so he's not here with me, but he knows I'm out here.
CC: Oh man, it was a surreal feeling. People collect these cards as hobbies and sometimes as jobs, and for me to be a part of that card-collecting culture and people are searching for my signature. I think it's super special to know that you're making an impact in people's lives.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Cedric Coward Q&A: 'Ja Morant is one of the best people I've ever met'
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While in town for All-Star Weekend, Coward stopped by the Panini Prizm VIP lounge, where he spoke in depth about the adjustments of his rookie year, why he wants to work out with Kawhi Leonard, the public misconceptions about Morant, where he was when Jackson was traded, and more.
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How’s your rookie year coming along for you?
Cedric Coward: It's going along great. It's filled with ups and downs, but at the same time, I think it's on the uptrend. I'm super happy. I'm super blessed to be here to be a part of this entire thing, especially All-Star Weekend, being one of the select few, but the job's not done. I still got much more I need to do.
I spoke with your coach, Tuomas Iisalo, about how he and the team were trying to manage your workload. You're coming into the league, not being used to an 82-game season. How has that adjustment been for you?
CC: I think it's been an ongoing conversation we've been having. Like I said, I trust them. I trust the training staff. I trust Coach because if you really think about it, I didn't even play a college season last year. I only played six games. So I was still in like catch-up mode and going from six games to almost a year layoff, to trying to play 82, that takes a toll on your body. But at the same time, I do as much as I can to help mediate that process so I can play each and every game possible. But at the same time, I trust those guys. I trust everybody in that room right there. And then it's ongoing conversations we have all the time.
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At what point during the season did you realize that you're getting the hang of the 82-game season?
CC: I think it was one of our third or fourth back-to-back. You're not used to playing a back-to-back unless you're in AAU. But that's once every weekend, maybe. But in the NBA, it can come up quick. You can play four games in five days. So I ended up playing in a back-to-back, and I didn't feel as tired as I did in the previous back-to-back. So I was like, "Oh, okay, cool. I'm starting to get used to the grind, and how to take better care of your body, and how to really manage sleep." And all these different things that help you perform that and become way, way better at it.
Was that when you realized that you belonged in the league?
CC: Oh, I knew I belonged in the league when I got drafted. Not to be arrogant, but at the same time, when I got drafted, I felt a sense of like, "I deserved to be here." It took so much hard work to get to this point, just like everyone else, but what I went through personally - you’re climbing mountains, not hills but just climbing mountains.
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Only a few Division I games and then getting drafted to the NBA. Were there any doubts back then where you thought, like, I don't know if I can get to that NBA level?
CC: Nah, man, you gotta be a little crazy to realize and accomplish your dreams. I never had any doubt in myself. I never had any doubt in what was happening. Obviously, there was a lot of roadblocks in the way, but at the same time, you just gotta get around it.
I'm super blessed. I have great people in my corner that kept encouraging me, making sure I was taking care of business, especially after the shoulder injury. And I have a great team of agency and team around me as well that got my name out there enough. So now all I had to do was go perform on the court. All I did was wanna make an impact. I wasn't trying to go out and score a certain amount of points, get a certain amount of rebounds, nothing. I just wanted to go make an impact and do what I can on the court to help the team win. If I score 50 or if I score five, as long as we win, that's the only thing I care about.
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You go out there and play hard, and then at the end of the day you look at the box score and think, 'Oh, that's cool, I put up good numbers.' And if you have a bad game, maybe it doesn't really matter.
CC: What do you define as a bad game, though? Because if you score a lot of points and you lose, it can say you had a good game because you scored a lot of points, but you lost. Or if you score a little amount of points and you win, you can say you had a bad game because you scored a little amount of points, but you won.
So for me, I always go and base the game I had on the result first and just the process of the game. If I was getting the shots I wanted and I was making the right passes and maybe stuff didn't fall, and I had three points and I was 2 for 10, but I got the shot that I wanted, I'll say it's a decent game. Now I just got to make the shots.
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Outside of just the number of games, what's the biggest difference that you've experienced between college and the NBA?
CC: You're playing with the best players in the world. I mean, basketball is a very fine line between the best players in the world and the ones who are in the NBA but aren't up to that caliber yet. But it's a huge gap between NBA players and everybody else. So going from college, not playing since November, and then my first game being back, being in the NBA was a complete and total adjustment. You had to go out there with confidence and you have to go out there with a sense of belonging or else you will get embarrassed. But at the same time, for me, that's probably the biggest adjustment, understanding that this caliber of players is everybody, one through 15, not one through five. And then you have the drop of knowledge, one through 15.
Speaking to that, have you had your 'Welcome to the NBA' moment?
CC: Yes, I have. We played the Warriors. Steph Curry hit me with a surplus of dribble moves, stepped back three on the left wing, and splashed it. And then did his little shimmy thing, running back down the court. And for me, watching on TV, it seemed so fun. It seemed so cool. But then getting scored on, I was like, 'Yeah, this not that fun anymore.'
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Has anything else topped that moment?
CC: Nothing to that status because I felt like I was right there in his face and it didn't matter. And I was like, this was legit, he just didn't see me. When I was guarding KD, he just shot over me. Like I've never had anybody do that in my life. But you know, those Hall-of-Fame caliber players, man.
Speaking of Hall of Fame-caliber guys… Kawhi Leonard. I remember after a game, you didn't even have his number, but you kind of grabbed him afterward, almost like a PR person would, and tried to set up a workout with him. Have you talked to him since then?
CC: Yeah, for sure. The time I asked if I can work out with him, he said, 'Yeah, let's do it.' And then the next time I saw him, I asked again and made sure like it was okay. Now we just got to get connected. But honestly, man, I live by the motto, closed mouths don't get fed. And for me, I'm compared to him a lot. And obviously, there's one Kawhi Leonard, and then there's one Cedric Coward. But at the same time, if I can learn from greats like that, if I can learn from guys that are All-Stars and I can add what they have into my game and mold myself with them along with many others, then that can only be beneficial.
So even if I look like a PR dude at the time, that's okay. He didn't deny me, so it's cool.
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Have you gotten a chance to work with other Hall of Famers?
CC: Not really. But there's definitely a list, there's definitely so many people I do want to work with and want to gain as much knowledge from. Not only mentally but physically understanding how they take care of their body. I mean, LeBron is in year 23. One of my things is, I want to understand when I'm able to have a conversation with him how he took care of his body.
Obviously you hear the stories but it's better to hear from the source. Obviously you look what drills Steph Curry does to get shots, especially guarded. What drills or what footwork does Kevin Durant do? There’s so many things from so many different people that I would like to take and I’m just waiting for the opportunity.
Is there one particular player that you want to work out with?
CC: Not one particular one. There was, but unfortunately, he's passed away, and that was Kobe Bryant.
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I want to talk about your old teammate as of a week or so ago, Jaren Jackson Jr. I remember talking to you in the locker and asking who was the most influential player on the team, and right away you pointed to him. How bad do you miss him?
CC: Man, I miss Trip tremendously. Didn't know him for long in terms of actual time of the relationship, but it feels like I've known him forever. Just because I was a lot like him and he was a lot like me. We're goofy people. We're the life of the party in terms bringing energy to the room. And honestly, he was like my first vet. He was the one that really would drop random bits of knowledge on me all the time. I would really listen because he's been successful in this league. I mean, All-NBA, All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year... You should listen to guys like that. And for me, whenever he would drop that knowledge on me, I felt like I needed to listen to it because he doesn't have to do this.
But I want all the best for him, man, for the rest of his career, for everything. We're keeping in touch and making sure that he plays great throughout the whole season until he plays us. And then he has a bad game. But then, besides that, man, that's my guy.
Where were you and what was your initial reaction when you first saw him get traded?
CC: I was right next to him. We were walking up the stairs, going to practice, and next thing you know, he's turning around, walking down the stairs. And I was like, "Oh, okay, what's going on?" Next thing you know, you hear the news from our coaches. And then we just shared a moment in the locker room. You're like brothers, man. And that's where all my teammates, Vince [Williams], Jock [Landale], Jitty [John Konchar], like all of them, like you share a moment with those guys, like understanding what they meant to you. Even though you didn't know them long, they got a special place in my heart for sure.
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People outside that don't know Ja Morant have a certain way of thinking about him. Being around him day to day, what have you learned the most with him?
CC: Yeah, it depends what people think about him. If you want to say all the negative connotations about him, you're dead wrong and you need to keep your thoughts to yourself. Ja is one of the best people I've ever met. One of the best people to be around. He's the same way, goofy - we quote movies all the time. I mean, he's always cracking jokes.
What people portray him to be is not what he is. He'll take care of you in terms of like, when we had the ice storm, he offered to buy my groceries, just little things like that he doesn't have to do, but he does out of the kindness of his own heart and just taking care of people, just because that's who he is. That's like his nature. And then at the same time, he's just a great person to be around. Like I tell people all the time, he's one of the people I'd bring to my cookout, you know, and you'd be like, "Hey man, come on through." You know what I'm saying? And everybody would love him.
What movies do you guys pull?
CC: Ah, man. A lot of old school movies. I say 'Friday'. Friday's probably a good one. I mean, we've quoted like 'Paid in Full' before, we've quoted 'Juice', we've quoted so many things I can't even name them. But 'Friday' is probably the most recent one I can remember.
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What are you doing with Panini during All-Star weekend?
CC: I'm out here with Panini at the Prizm Lounge they got here in LA, signing cards, meeting new people, meeting the same people I already knew, and building relationships and just having fun in the process.
Did you collect trading cards as a kid?
CC: Me personally, I didn't, but I know many, many people who did. My grandpa is one of them. Very close. So the fact that I can sign my own cards and he collects them, and I'd be a part of the collection, is super special to me. He's out here in LA too, so he's not here with me, but he knows I'm out here.
How did it feel seeing yourself on the cards?
CC: Oh man, it was a surreal feeling. People collect these cards as hobbies and sometimes as jobs, and for me to be a part of that card-collecting culture and people are searching for my signature. I think it's super special to know that you're making an impact in people's lives.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Cedric Coward Q&A: 'Ja Morant is one of the best people I've ever met'
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