NY Knicks: 3 prospects NY should NOT trade up for in 2021 NBA Draft

I like Sharife Cooper, but it would be a bad idea if NY Knicks traded up for him

I know I’m going to catch a lot of grief for this one because there are heavy rumors about the Knicks’ interest in him, but I’m just not the biggest believer in Sharife Cooper.

From a skill set perspective, he’s a top 5 talent in this draft. If he was like, 6-foot-3, this wouldn’t be a topic of conversation whatsoever.

But he’s not 6’3…in fact, he’s listed at 6’1 and just 180lbs but if you told me the kid was actually 5’11 I’d believe you.

The afro adds a few inches in your brain when looking at Sharife.

Not only can he realistically be 5’11 but there are sites online that have him listed weighing as little as 165lbs.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but aren’t smaller players generally a defensive liability?

Like Trae Young, who’s listed at 6’1 and 180lbs himself…can’t play a stitch of defense if he tried.

But Young has other-worldly scoring and shooting abilities that make him not only playable but an All-Star caliber player.

Cooper on the other hand shot under 23% from 3-point land…and it’s not as if he doesn’t shoot a lot and also doesn’t make them…he has the confidence to take nearly 5 attempts per game but misses about 4 of them.

His game shares a lot of similarities with Trae but shooting is just not one of them.

Not only do I think he’ll be bullied by defenders, but he’d be difficult to hide on the other side of the ball, too.

Unlike Franz Wagner, I’d be happy with Cooper at pick 19 or 21.

Taking a chance on a guy like him with a pick in the late teens or early 20’s wouldn’t hurt as much if things didn’t pan out as expected.

But to throw a bunch of assets together to grab Cooper, would be a huge no-no in my book.

The ceiling is high, but the floor is pretty low too. I’m not taking that chance personally.