17. Jack Cooley
Apr 8, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Jason Thompson (34) prepares to shoot the ball around Utah Jazz forward Jack Cooley (45) during the first quarter at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Jack Cooley is a fan favorite and one of the coolest stories on the Jazz roster. Coming out of Notre Dame, he was ranked as the 109th overall 2013 draft prospect by ESPN. At six-foot-nine, no one thought he could become a NBA player due to his size and lack of athleticism. He was a center in a forward’s body.
Cooley didn’t let that deter him from pursuing the NBA. After graduating from Notre Dame, he didn’t have many teams chasing after him, so he went to Turkey to play basketball for a year. He played 28 games there and averaged 12.6 points and 6.9 boards in 23 minutes.
Last season, Cooley ended up playing 20 games with the Idaho Stampede while awaiting his big league call-up. The forward averaged 30.8 minutes in those 20 games, notching an impressive 16.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.05 assists and 1.25 blocks. Cooley eventually broke the D-League record with 29 rebounds in a single game.
His play led to the Jazz calling Cooley up to join the team. He only played a total of 87 minutes with the team, but he proved he is a NBA player. What teams underestimated when looking over Cooley in the draft was his toughness, heart and hustle.
This summer, he averaged 14.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes of play. He showed an improved offensive game and rebounded the heck out of the ball.
Cooley simply ticks people off with his tenacity on the boards. There were so many times in summer league when opponents shoved Cooley or got in his face because they couldn’t handle his intensity. That Jazz grit made him a fan favorite this summer and is a quality that will make coaches love you.
Jazz coach Quin Snyder seems to like Cooley a good deal, so I thought his chances to make the team were pretty high in the early offseason. Unfortunately for him, the Jazz drafted Trey Lyles and signed both Tibor Pleiss and Jeff Withey.
This really hurts his chance to make the team. I’m not saying he can’t do it, but he will have to outplay someone like Withey to hang on. If Cooley did beat out someone like Withey, I wouldn’t be surprised. Having a player that goes as hard in practice as Cooley does is a huge asset.
Like Clint says, it is really hard to cut someone like Jack that has that much heart. I imagine he will start the year the with Stampede, until another NBA team picks him up. Cooley is definitely a NBA caliber player, the Utah Jazz have just found themselves loaded at the forward position.
Next: Player #16