NY Knicks: Sharife Cooper could be on the team’s NBA Draft radar

NY Knicks: Is Sharife Cooper a good fit?

For a team with as much cap space as the Knicks, it’s hard to always pinpoint how perfect of a “fit” a prospect would be because, well, we still have no idea what the roster will look like next season.

Whether it’s bringing back Derrick Rose, signing a stop-gap option such as Kyle Lowry or Mike Conley, trading for Collin Sexton or Damian Lillard, signing an expensive long-term free agents, or a combination of multiple scenarios, it’s a complete mystery.

I don’t think it’s very realistic for the team to ignore any of the possibilities I just mentioned and simply draft Sharife Cooper and slot him in as the starting point guard. I don’t see Tom Thibodeau, or Leon Rose, or anyone advocating for anything like that.

With that being said, I absolutely believe that Sharife Cooper is worth selecting with one of New York’s first two picks. Not only is the upside tantalizing but Cooper’s game could be a nice fit in a Tom Thibodeau offense.

The bad shooting numbers in college made defenders consistently go under screens when guarding him. Even with that kind clogged paint and suffocating defense, Cooper essentially got the rim whenever he wanted.

Using crafty maneuvering and an extensive scoring package within 15 feet of the rim, Cooper collected buckets on buckets. Thibodeau’s offense has always required his lead guard to effectively attack the rim.

I believe that the most likely scenario where the NY Knicks draft Sharife Cooper is one where they also bring Derrick Rose back and keep Cooper on the bench. Who would be a beter tutor than Derrick Rose?

Cooper already had a historic usage rate for a freshman guard (Since 2008, only Trae Young’s was higher) and being able to pick the brain of someone like Derrick Rose could only help him develop his primary ball-handling skills even further.

A Cooper-Quickley backcourt off the bench would be a ton off fun and they could really compliment each other’s games. It could be a terrific environment for Cooper to grow into the best version of himself.

It can be difficult to stomach prospects who posted poor shooting numbers in college and you’re going to have to buy Cooper’s soft touch, nice release, and 82% free throw shooting as an indicator of future shooting success.

Still, we’ve seen New York’s coaching staff work wonders and help transform players’ shooting.

With the environment that the NY Knicks have in place, they could see Sharife Cooper as a great fit and their long-term answer at point guard.