The next player in our annual OKC Thunder prospect profile series Intentions looks at is Auburn guard Sharife Cooper.
One of if not the best passers in the class of 2021, Cooper will draw attention to teams seeking to add playmakers and reserve point guards. Cooper had a stellar high school career and transitioned well into the NCAA to become a scoring threat for Auburn in his freshman season.
Auburn utilized a fast-paced offense that allowed Cooper to shine and NBA teams with a similar scheme will want to take a long hard look at the Georgia native.
OKC Thunder draft prospect profile for Sharife Cooper:
Specifics:
- Height: 6’3″
- Weight: 180 pounds
- Wingspan: 7’3.25
- Position: Guard
- Birthdate/Age: June 11th, 2001, 19 years
- College: Auburn, freshman
- Stat line: 20.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.0 steals
- Home Town: Powder Springs, Georgia
Box Score Statistics:
| Season | G | MP | FGA | FG% | 2PA | 2P% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 12 | 33.1 | 15.3 | .391 | 10.6 | .465 | 4.8 | .228 | 8.6 | .825 | 4.3 | 8.1 | 1.0 | 20.2 |
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 7/16/2021.
Current Ranking:
- The Ringer: 18th
- NBA DraftNet: 35th
- ESPN: 17th
- CBS Sports: 28th
- NBA: 17th
- Bleacher Report: 19th
- FanSided The Step Back: 16th
With that let’s dive a little deeper into Sharife Cooper to determine his strengths and weaknesses.
Sharife Cooper strengths and weaknesses
Strengths:
The Auburn freshman was the primary offensive threat for their squad as he produced 20.2 points and 8.1 assists per game. His diminutive size is a factor but much like Trae Young was able to capitalize so too has Cooper.
He also emulates Young in terms of getting to the charity stripe which speaks to his willingness to drive the ball and mix things up offensively.
Cooper is adept at controlling the pace of the game with his change of speed ability and great handle while his above-average passing helps set up teammates for easy scoring opportunities.
To that end, he has mastered the pick and roll, lob passes, corner kick-outs, and can utilize his dribble to draw defenders to him and then hit open teammates. That ability resulted in the Tigers point guard assisting on 52 percent of his squad’s scoring when he was on the hardwood.
Weaknesses:
Clearly, Coopers’ diminutive frame causes issues on the defensive side of the floor. While he emulates the game style and play of Trae Young the one area that he is vastly different is his perimeter shooting where he managed only 22.8 percent.
Yet, his 82.5 percent free-throw shooting and 20 plus points per game speaks to the fact he should be able to improve with a few tweaks to his shot mechanics.
Hasn’t demonstrated the same ability when playing off the ball which is something he’ll need to focus on improving given how many teams prefer to use multi-guard lineups. That punctuates the need for him to improve his shooting so he can hit from catch and shoot opportunities and via movement and cutting to the basket.
Two major red flags were his struggles scoring against lengthy teams and his 4.2 turnovers per game. Plus his lack of elevation and tendency to lean backward on shots makes him susceptible to being blocked by taller, more physical NBA players.
Obviously, his size and frame make him a target for opposing teams to attack defensively. While he can work on improving in this area, his lack of effort and focus doesn’t project well for him to ever excel in this area.
Pro Comparison:
The comparisons for Cooper are Rajon Rondo, Ish Smith, Sebastian Telfair, Trey Burke, and Yogi Ferrell.
Essentially small point guards who had prowess as scorers and/or playmakers. I’d argue each of the above players all began their pro careers with better defensive fundamentals than Cooper.
OKC Thunder fit:
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- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer suggests Sharife Cooper is a logical pick for the OKC Thunder citing his playmaking and an able backup to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. O’Connor says…
"After selecting a forward and a center, the Thunder select a guard here in Cooper, who could serve as a backup behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to begin his career. Cooper is an excellent passer who could set up SGA and alleviate the pressure on him to generate offense."
Let’s just say I’m not as optimistic about Sam Presti picking Cooper with the 18th pick. While his scoring and playmaking success in high school and college would be a welcome addition to the Thunder he doesn’t fit the direction of the club.
Mark Daigneault is seeking players who can function in a postionless scheme. Cooper’s size makes that a difficult proposition. Factor in his defensive limitations and unlikely ability to ever excel on that side of the court and I’m simply not buying him donning an OKC Thunder jersey.