Utah Jazz draft prospect No. 3: Sharife Cooper
What could become arguably the biggest steal in the draft, Sharife Cooper might be a jackpot pick for the Utah Jazz. Despite a rocky freshman season at Auburn, Cooper is one of the most coveted prospects in this draft class when it comes to sheer potential.
His draft stock isn’t as high as other prospects due to the fact he played only 12 out of the Tigers’ 27 games last season because of eligibility issues with the NCAA. However, Cooper proved in his brief time on the court that he is one of the most promising players in this draft class.
In the action he did see, Cooper averaged 20.2 points and 8.1 assists per game. Now, his efficiency wasn’t top-notch, shooting only 39.1 percent from the field, but that will only improve with experience.
With the possible hole the Jazz will have at the guard position, Cooper could be everything Utah needs. Again, Mike Conley is currently 33 years old and isn’t getting any younger.
Right now, Cooper is typically slotted anywhere from the 25th to the 30th pick. Not only would the 6-foot-1 point guard fit well with the franchise in Utah, but Salt Lake City could also be a perfect destination for him. He would likely be under the tutelage of one of the great point guards in recent history and eventually could have the keys to the point guard spot in a few years.
Cooper is lightning quick, has extraordinary vision, and is a pure point guard who could complement Donovan Mitchell extremely well. In any other NBA Draft, he might be a top 10 pick, which is even more of an incentive for the Utah Jazz to do what they can to snag him.
With Sharife Cooper leading the way with the second unit, Utah’s bench could become even more dangerous.