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

The NY Knicks are just under 2 weeks away from the 2021 NBA Draft and Auburn University point guard Sharife Cooper could be on the team’s radar.

Cooper is one of the top guard prospects in the draft and his exceptional skills as a primary ball-handler have many NBA teams eyeing him as a possible long-term, all-star-level point guard.

NY Knicks: Team could be monitoring Sharife Cooper in the 2021 NBA Draft

According to SNY’s Ian Begley, The Knicks appear to be gauging other teams’ interest in Cooper. He has picked up a ton of buzz as a potential lottery pick.

New York is entering the draft with picks 19 and 21 and Cooper falling to them is far from unrealistic. Still, you have to wonder just how high the team’s interest is in the 19-year-old point guard – is it strong  enough to trade up for him?

The NY Knicks backcourt is still up in the air. Between Derrick Rose’s unrestricted free agency and the rest of the guards on the roster, New York is going to have to restructure their backcourt rotation.

There have been plenty of big names floated in the rumor mill – from trade targets such as Damian Lillard and Collin Sexton to free agents like Kyle Lowry and Lonzo Ball.

Could Sharife Cooper be the answer? Let’s look at his game and how he could fit in New York.

NY Knicks: Sharife Cooper has tantalizing point guard talent

No prospect in this loaded NBA Draft class has a higher probability of leading the NBA in assists than Sharife Cooper. His point guard skill are… rare.

This isn’t someone who “makes the right reads” or “has flashed elite passing”, Cooper has a level of creativity and playmaking that very few basketball players have. It starts with his understanding of the game – he has tremendous knowledge of the movement around him – where his teammates will be and where his opponents will be at all times.

The offensive awareness is something you cannot teach, but when it’s coupled with the skill level that Cooper has with the ball in his hands, it makes for a rare point guard prospect.

Cooper not only has the vision, but he also has the finessed, tight handles and comfort with the ball in his hands that NBA floor generals need. His ball-handling combined with his lightning-quick first-step make him a handful to guard.

That speed/dribbling combo is deadly in both the half-court and open-court.

While Cooper’s point-god-level skills are exceptional, there are some glaring flaws in his profile that have prevented him from being a top-10 draft prospect.

The first being his stature. Cooper’s exact height has been somewhat of a mystery but the most consensus measurement I could gather was 6’1, with his weight being 180lbs. Not ideal size for the NBA.

The other glaring issue is his long-range shooting. Cooper shot just 22.8% from 3 in college.

Being able to overcome his small stature and develop as a shooter is no small task. You have to really be special in other areas of the game to overcome these flaws.

Can SharifeCooper be a high-level player in the NBA? Would the NY Knicks be a good landing spot for him to reach his maximum potential?

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.