Welcome to ATL -- Sharife Cooper

[HMFFL]

I don't like the Cooper pick. I would rather the Hawks draft a big in the 2nd round.

As far as big men go I believe adding a cheap one in free agency is the better plan. Not drafting one that's probably not going to make a name for himself in the league and no experience doesn't seem appealing.

I'm with you, HMFFL. Hawks already wasted a high 2nd round pick on Bruno Fernando and received 0 tangible benfit on the court from the selection.

Sharife is looking like a home run pick for where he was selected. First round value at the end of the second round. Possibly the single best 2nd round selection under Travis Schlenk. (In Atlanta that is.)



The tagline for his first year in College Park:

There's a new Sharife in town!!

Bruno Fernando was frustrating to watch when he played. I had my hopes up when we drafted him and our front office even gave him a guaranteed contract.

Sharife does look good. I hope I can watch him play life with the team or in College Park.

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[Jamaaliver]

2021 NBA Draft: Ranking the best offensive skills

Ballhandling

1. Sharife Cooper, Auburn

Cooper is clearly the best ballhandler in the class. He is one of the few players I’ve evaluated whose handle can even hold a candle to that of Trae Young’s. He is a ridiculous playmaker with the ball in hand. He has real speed and keeps the ball on a string while changing pace and direction with ease. His feel for shifting gears is spectacular, and he knows exactly how to read defenders’ balance. Cooper has a vicious crossover and a nasty inside-out dribble that freezes defenders. Then on top of it, he has a weird combination of herky-jerky handles with a smooth acceleration out of them. He’s not someone who pre-ordains his moves in a series. Instead, he actually reacts to how defenders play him, then makes his own move after they get on their front or back foot. Despite lacking size, he also plays through contact well. It’s really hard to displace him as he makes his initial move. He has good core strength. Cooper flows one move into another with ease, stringing together counter after counter in a dizzying array of handles.


Live dribble passing (halfcourt)

1. Sharife Cooper

Cooper is also an elite live-dribble passer. He can make every pass in the book after drawing defenders toward him. He knows how to patiently bring the help closer and draw them out to open passing angles, and he knows how to manipulate defenders with his eyes before throwing impressive no-look passes. Any situation, he’ll find his teammates. He can do so with one hand directly off the bounce, and throws passes with both his right and left. Can whip left-handed cross-court passes on the fly with ease — and the passes almost always are on the money, right in the shooting pocket. He averaged over eight assists per game, which ranked second nationally. His 51.9 assist percentage would be one of the top marks in the database if he had enough games to qualify. He’s just superb at finding every single angle necessary, and he is the best passer, overall, in the class.

The Athletic

[Jamaaliver]

NBA scouts critique the top 2021 Draft prospects

Sharife Cooper, 6-1 freshman guard Auburn



“Wow, what a great kid. He’s bigger than I thought. Really knows how to change speeds to get in the paint. The poor shooting is really hard to overcome, but he’ll be in the first round because he’s just so elite at getting to spots and making plays. Also at that size, who’s he gonna guard? I don’t think he defends worth a ****. If he was a 35 percent 3-point shooter he’d be at the top of the lottery. He’s got that ball on a string. In our league you have to be able to shoot it. He plays hard and he loves basketball.”

The Athletic

[Jamaaliver]

SHARIFE COOPER
Point Guard, Auburn, Freshman

Intelligent floor general who needs to improve his jump shot to maximize his offensive potential.
Shades Of: Rajon Rondo, Ish Smith, Sebastian Telfair

Age------------------------19
Height---------------------6'3''
Weight--------------------180

Watch on YouTube

PLUSES

• One of the best passers in the draft. Makes pinpoint deliveries using either hand, whether it’s lobs, kickouts, or drop-offs. He loves to use subtle feints and fakes to draw defenders out of position, and then make the pass.
  
• Comfortable commanding the offense, especially in the pick-and-roll.
  
• Slippery ball handler who can suddenly shift directions to get where he wants on the court.
  
• Ambidextrous finisher who displays crafty potential, a necessity for a player of his size. He also invites and initiates contact inside.
  
• Shooting potential: He shot above 80 percent from the line and displayed soft touch on floaters. He’ll need to overhaul his mechanics, but there is certainly untapped potential.

MINUSES

• Tiny frame raises concerns about his ability to handle the physicality of the NBA, especially on defense.
  
• Defensive fundamentals: At Auburn, he was frequently out of position off the ball and did a poor job of fighting through screens to stick with his assignment.
  
• Uncomfortable 3-point shooter. He barely jumps, instead taking more of a set shot. He sprays misses all over. Without a reliable jumper, teams will be able to go under screens to limit his playmaking.
  
• Takes unnecessary risks as a passer.

The Ringer

[atlantabbq99]

Trae looks an inch taller than Travis and Cooper looks an inch shorter than Travis.

Cooper must be 6'0

I don't know why some reports have Cooper as 6'3

Anyway, Coop has been looking good so far. Very good backup and maybe even a starter level PG on another team.

[DCasey91]

If Giddey went 6 then Cooper should have actually gone top ten easy.

He gives me old man CP3 vibes which is incredibly high praise but you don’t control tempo, and floor general tangibles skillwise like that at pick 48 and at that age lol.

I mean even being the best or one of the best backup PG’s that could very well start is already the biggest steal of this draft. But I actually think his ceiling is more All Star level. He has the traits and tools for it imo. Like Harden at OKC different type of player but if Cooper gets moved he might flourish big time as the teams starting offensive engine.

Getting an A tier talent in the second round is ludicrous well done!

[JimmyPlopper]

He's going to be good. why did everyone pass on him? Bunch of knucklehead GMs and scouts

[HMFFL]

2021-22 Atlanta Hawks Player Preview: Sharife Cooper

Cooper starred in Las Vegas but what’s his outlook for the season?

Cooper impressed many with his ability to break down defenses off of the dribble to score as well as flashing his ability to playmake, averaging 14.8 points per game on 46% shooting, 33% shooting from three on 3.8 attempts and 7.3 assists (the third-highest average in Summer League) as well as a dramatic buzzer-beater.

“Sharife’s got the ability to break people down and get into the paint as you’ve seen the first two games,” said Hawks Summer League head coach Matt Hill of Cooper in Vegas. “He’s fast. Trae can play off the ball, Sharife can play off the ball. Sharife’s done a little of that in Summer League. I think his ability to playmake for others makes him a special player. When you have two guys out there, I don’t look at too much at their size. It’s such a spread game that sometimes you need your best players on the court. I think Sharife has the ability to break people down and get others involved.”

Now, leaving Summer League, Cooper’s situation is drastically different as he heads into the 2021-22 season. Unlike fellow rookie standout Jalen Johnson, Cooper is signed to a two-way contract, meaning his time with the Hawks could be limited — unless the Hawks convert his two-way contract to a roster spot. However, this would require the Hawks to let go of someone on their current roster to make space for Cooper.

https://www.peachtreehoops.com/platform/amp/2021/9/9/22661589/2021-22-atlanta-hawks-player-preview-sharife-cooper

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[graymule]

Trae Young clone! He seems to be able to do all things that Trae does and Sharife does it very well. One of the big questions seem to be, "Can he shoot?" Wasn't great in school but check out his free throw % and that is good.

"Has the ball on a string!" And, he's able to get from here to there with ease. What's not to like? Short, by NBA standards, yet he is slippery with his movements.

He may live down to the position where he was drafted. He may not be able to play in the NBA at a high rate. This I have my doubts about. This kid is good. Remember, Trae didn't start off with a bang. Sharife must mature. He is destined to spend a lot of time at the Skyhawks and let others play back up PG. But, save him a seat at the table.

[Jamaaliver]

Some predraft notes on Sharife:

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[Jamaaliver]

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[jayu70]

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[Jamaaliver]

Enjoy this moment, young man.

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[Da ThRONe]

This guy may truly be the steal of the entire draft class.

[King Ken]

This guy may truly be the steal of the entire draft class.

He's been pretty good for us in the Gleague. We really don't have mins for him now but once we trade Delon for a wing, we should

[Jamaaliver]

This guy may truly be the steal of the entire draft class.

He's been pretty good for us in the Gleague. We really don't have mins for him now but once we trade Delon for a wing, we should

We are now into Dec with Wright. He just doesn't fit offensively. Time to move him for a wing and move Cooper up the rotation

We might get a chance to see Sharife with the big league team soon. Jalen went back to College Park today.

Sharife stayed with the big league team.

Read on Twitter

[Da ThRONe]

This guy may truly be the steal of the entire draft class.

He's been pretty good for us in the Gleague. We really don't have mins for him now but once we trade Delon for a wing, we should

We are now into Dec with Wright. He just doesn't fit offensively. Time to move him for a wing and move Cooper up the rotation

We might get a chance to see Sharife with the big league team soon. Jalen went back to College Park today.

Sharife stayed with the big league team.

Read on Twitter

Not sure if Cooper is it at this stage of his young career but the Hawks need a jolt to that team. They need play makers outside of Young.

[Jamaaliver]

Sharife Cooper has impressive week in G League with consecutive 30-point games

The College Park Skyhawks have lost their last four games, and with the All-Star break approaching, this will be a good time for them to regroup as they come back to finish the season. Despite the four-game skid, Sharife Cooper elevated his game this week, putting up two impressive performances in back-to-back games.

In the Skyhawks loss on Monday against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Sharife Cooper was the leading scorer of the game with 33 points. Cooper did most of his work in the paint, where he was able to connect on a few floaters and get into the lane. Cooper was 4-of-9 from the field and also finished with eight assists and eight rebounds.

Spoiler:

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Cooper followed that performance up with a 30-point triple-double against the Maine Celtics on Thursday. He was once again attacking the defense by driving into the lane, scoring a career-high 37 points. He finished with 11 assists, as one of his biggest strengths is his ability to find his teammates. Cooper continued to put pressure on the Celtics defense in multiple ways.

Spoiler:

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These were unquestionably two of the best performances from Cooper this season, and hopefully, this is a turn in the right direction for him to finish off the season.

Peachtree Hoops

[HMFFL]

He's been pretty good for us in the Gleague. We really don't have mins for him now but once we trade Delon for a wing, we should

We are now into Dec with Wright. He just doesn't fit offensively. Time to move him for a wing and move Cooper up the rotation

We might get a chance to see Sharife with the big league team soon. Jalen went back to College Park today.

Sharife stayed with the big league team.

Read on Twitter

Not sure if Cooper is it at this stage of his young career but the Hawks need a jolt to that team. They need play makers outside of Young.

I thought we needed defense?

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[Jamaaliver]

SC has made some much needed adjustments and has had impressive production the last few weeks. If he improves his jumper and defense, he's easily an NBA rotation player by Fall 2023.

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