When the Atlanta Hawks drafted Sharife Cooper, they got one of the biggest steals in the draft. He is a tremendous playmaker and scorer who uses his speed and lateral quickness to his advantage on the offensive end.
The Hawks think so highly of Cooper that they signed him to one of the two-way deals that they are allowed. However, there is a good chance that if he performs well in the upcoming summer league then the Hawks may in fact sign him to the final roster spot. They have one open and may then offer the two-way deal to another player.
Where Cooper has the advantage over a lot of players is that he outworks pretty much everybody else. He is going to need to do this to improve his defense to an NBA level. He is very undersized at only 6’1″ and 180 pounds but with his work ethic, he will get stronger.
The Atlanta Hawks are in a really good position to develop Sharife Cooper
The Hawks have a number of quality guards in Trae Young, Lou Williams, Delon Wright, and Bogdan Bogdanovic who have NBA experience. They are going to be able to work with Cooper to help develop him in practice.
Cooper also needs to work on his shooting. He is able to score heavily by using his ball-handling to beat his defender. He also is able to use his tremendous passing ability to put doubt in the mind of his opposition. However, to fulfill his potential at the next level he will do well to develop a good shooting game.
Now, let’s take a look at the pro comparisons for Sharife Cooper.