The Atlanta Hawks have had a Sharife Cooper problem that they needed to resolve. Ever since Cat Barber started to be the lead guard on the College Park Skyhawks, Cooper has been a player between two teams and has struggled accordingly.
Last game out Cooper could not take a trick, seeming to foul almost every time he went near the ball. He has been struggling since the Hawks Covid-19 crisis at the end of last year, trying to figure out what he needs to do on the basketball court when he is not the point guard.
Well, after several games where he has struggled to find his place, Cooper broke back out of his slump, showing all of us why the Hawks showed the faith that they did when they drafted the point guard. Cooper would have been working extremely hard on his game, hitting the gym, trying to figure out how to make an impact for his team.
The Atlanta Hawks certainly drafted a good one in Sharife Cooper.
When the Hawks were going through their lean stretch from the end of December until the middle of January, this would have been a tremendous time to unleash Cooper on the NBA. It is during this time that the Hawks could have showcased some of the talents of Cooper.
However, this was not the case and Cooper has been struggling to find his role on the court. This ended against the Capital City Go-Go where Cooper collected 24 points and six assists. He also had one steal and one rebound in 29 minutes. On the negative side of the box score, Cooper had four turnovers and another game with five fouls.
However, he chose his shots a lot better, going 5-of-9 from the floor, missing both of his attempts from beyond the arc. However, where Cooper was special was at the line, going 9-of-10. This is where Cooper has the chance to grow. He is learning where he can score without relying on his potentially weak 3-point shot.
This is where Cooper is growing into a new role, one where he is able to draw contact and get to the line. This helps get the opposition get into foul trouble and allows the Skyhawks to keep the score moving.