Atlanta Hawks: 3 goals for Sharife Cooper for the 2021-22 season
Atlanta Hawks goal for Sharife Cooper No. 1) Dominate the G-League
Having signed his two-way deal, Cooper is likely to start the season in the G-League. This is a step up from college ball and a tremendous stepping stone to the NBA. Cooper will be able to use his pace to blow by defenders at this level and continue to develop his confidence.
He has a chance to run the offense in a system that is similar to the varsity team. The Hawks coaching staff will be watching his play with incredible interest in order to see how he fits. This is going to benefit him no end as he develops into an NBA-level player.
However, one thing that he needs to develop is a jump shot. Without this, he is going to rely on fast breaks and attacking the rim which is not as easy at the elite level. He only hit 39.1 from the field but that was in part due to his 3-point shot.
Cooper was poor from deep in his single season at Auburn, going at only 22.8 percent. If he can get that up to around 35.0 percent at the early stage of the G-League season then this will bode well for him getting playing time with the varsity squad.
If he can do this, he adds such a string to his already-packed bow. He will become one of the hardest players to defend because he is also an incredible passer. This is how he will develop into a player that can dominate the G-League.