NBA Draft recap: How did this prospect drop?
Sharife Cooper was seen by some scouts as a lottery talent heading into the draft. To others, at least worth a late first-round pick or early second. To be honest, it was pretty easy to see why.
Heralded as a five-star recruit and ranked 20th in his high school class by ESPN, Sharife committed to Auburn University. There, he dazzled, averaging 20.2 points and 8.1 assists. However, an ankle injury only limited him to a dozen games and shaky shooting splits did him no favors.
Even still, his falling to pick No. 48 was astounding, to say the least. The team that ended up taking him, the Atlanta Hawks, is a pretty good fit. He moves only ninety minutes from his alma mater, packs a scoring punch off the bench, and is a pretty decent playmaker. Plus, Trae Young is as good of a mentor as anyone for a small, young point guard.