Sharife Cooper is a Newark, New Jersey native and played his college ball for coach Bruce Pearl at Auburn. Cooper is known for his playmaking ability and he is also able to create his own shot. Cooper was listed at 6’1 going into his freshman season and measured in at 6’4 at the combine. This growths pert makes Cooper an even more fascinating prospect. This elusive guard has the ball on a string and can bring a lot of energy to any ball club. Cooper was selected to the all SEC freshman team as he averaged 20.2 points and 8.1 assists per night.
Where Sharife can flourish:
In the NBA today, playmaking and shot creating are things every team yearns for and Sharife is just the type of prospect that can fill a huge role right out of the gates. Not necessarily seen as a lottery pick, though he has the talent to be, Sharife could end up on a solid ball club that had an early playoff exit. A team that Sharife could thrive with is with the Los Angeles Lakers at the 22nd overall pick. This makes sense for a couple of reasons. First, the Lakers have a decisions to make if they are going to give starting point guard Dennis Schroëder that 100 million dollars he wants or if they are going to let him walk. If Dennis leaves, this selection makes more sense for the Lakers but if they re-sign him, Cooper would still be a great option to run the offense off the bench. Cooper would also make sense for the Lakers as they have constantly found gems by drafting guards later om in the daft from Jordan Clarkson to the recent Talen Horton-Tucker.
Ceiling:
Cooper is uber talented and his upside seems to be endless. If all goes well for Cooper, he could have a Kyrie Irving lite type impact. Now, this is a lofty projection but that is why he is Kyrie Irving lite. The film and the moves he has in his bag point to none other than Kyrie Irving himself and if Cooper works hard, Why not?
What wouldn’t be good for Cooper:
The athletic ability is apparent for Cooper but the only that can hold him back seems to be the fit. Ending up at the Pacers at 13th or the Wizards at 15th doesn’t feel like a good thing for Coopers career.
Zach Blaine 