Atlanta Hawks: The potential impact of Sharife Cooper making the roster

Every time that a team adds a player there are always going to be ripple effects on the roster. The Atlanta Hawks adding Sharife Cooper with the 48th pick in the 2021 NBA draft is no exception to this rule. The Hawks roster, which had a major overhaul last offseason, is potentially going to have another remodel this offseason.

The position which we are looking at today is the backup point guard slot which the Hawks have struggled to fill since Trae Young was drafted to this team. Plenty of players have been tried but they could not keep the offense running the same way Young did and it ground to a halt.

This is not the fault of players the Hawks have signed. They have been good enough but there is only one Young. In part, it was the fault of the coach as Lloyd Pierce was not able to correctly harness Young’s tremendous play. Nate McMillan on the other hand has a beautiful connection with Young and has him playing the best team basketball of his short career.

What impact will Sharife Cooper have on the Atlanta Hawks rotations?

While it is a bit early to say the full impact that Cooper will have on the rotations as he has not played a minute of basketball for the Hawks. However, all reports are that he loves hard work and will bring this mentality to his pro career.

One thing is certain, Cooper will not displace Young out of the starting lineup. However, depending on how he plays in the summer league and then how he performs in training camp, Cooper may impact who the Hawks re-sign. Let’s look at the competition for the roster spot.