The Atlanta Hawks have their roster pretty set as they head into the “second half” of the season after the All-Star break. They still have a free roster slot thanks to the Cam Reddish trade where they sent out Reddish and Solomon Hill and received Kevin Knok in return.
While the College Park Skyhawks have plenty of players capable of filling that spot, they have been having a bit of a Sharife Cooper problem. The rookie two-way guard has found it difficult to create a niche for himself with either team and this could be an issue moving forward for all of Cooper, the Hawks, and the Skyhawks.
Just prior to the All-Star break it looked like Cooper had broken out of the slump that he was in. He showed plenty of grit in a few games and then had a huge triple-double which may have pushed him into contention for some time with the Hawks.
The Atlanta Hawks need to work out what they want to do with Sharife Cooper
The Hawks are going to have to make a decision down the track as to whether they keep Cooper as their second two-way player. At the moment he is coming off the bench for the Skyhawks, playing behind Cat Barber in the most recent game against the Capital City Go-Go.
While this is not the end of the world, given how he performed the game before the All-Star break, it is a kick in the guts. He responded with a 1-of-9 shooting night, scoring just two points. He did have eight assists and four rebounds but on the other side of the ledger, Cooper had six turnovers.
What the Hawks need to decide is who they are going to have as their second two-way player, and they need to decide it quickly so that they can get some reps in before the playoffs. Barber could be good enough or Justin Tillman, who is one of the best players in the G League right now could also be a good option.