Toronto Raptors draft: 3 prospects not in NCAA Tournament to watch
By Mike Luciano
Raptors draft target No. 2: Sharife Cooper, PG, Auburn
How you view Cooper’s freshman season with the Tigers will determine if you are a pessimist or an optimist. If you’re pessimistic, you’ll point to the fact that he made just 39% of his shots and 23% of his 3-point shots as a sign that the 6-1 point guard was simply a volume scorer.
If you’re an optimist, you’ll single out the fact that Cooper averaged 20.2 points per game, the exact same number that Cade Cunningham averaged, while grabbing 4.3 rebounds and dishing out 8.1 assists per game, a number that would’ve ranked second overall in the nation if he qualified.
Cooper appears to be a prototypical slashing point guard that is equally skilled in creating offense for others as he is finishing at the rim. Doesn’t that sound like the ideal replacement for Kyle Lowry if he leaves?
How would Sharife Cooper help the Toronto Raptors?
The Raptors would need to find a way to reign in this wild stallion of a point guard, as his shot selection has frequently been called into question. On a team like Toronto that won’t force him to do everything on offense, the 5-star recruit could really blossom.
As a rookie, look for Cooper to compete with Malachi Flynn for playing time while playing like a more traditional penetrating point guard. Once his offensive game expands and his defense improves, Cooper has legit All-Star potential.