LAS VEGAS — Sharife Cooper threw his head back and smiled before I finished asking him about falling past the midpoint of the second round on draft night. He can’t wait to showcase how wrong every team was for passing on him.
His slide was surprising because he was one of the most electrifying players in college basketball last season for Auburn, and you can just never have enough guys on your roster who can handle and create as well as someone like Cooper. The Hawks went all-in with building around Trae Young — who’s at the high end of both of those skills. Cooper showed promise at Auburn that he, too, can be one of the better playmakers in the NBA one day.
We’ve already seen those flashes out of Cooper in summer league. His vision and ability to pass have been on display, even with players he has no familiarity with.
Behind-the-back DIME 👀 pic.twitter.com/iV8goD3vCT
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) August 8, 2021
Much like Young, arguably the most impressive part about Cooper’s game so far is his ability to get to the rim despite being one of the smallest players on the floor. Both Cooper and Young make up for their lack of height with speed and shiftiness. Cooper also has shown a knack for making clutch shots. He drove in the lane for a layup to tie the game against the Sixers to send it to overtime, and he hit a game-winner against the Pacers.
.@SharifeCooper called GAME!!! pic.twitter.com/X62hvUDBcI
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) August 10, 2021
The path to consistent playing time this season for Cooper is going to be challenging, though. He likely finds himself fourth on the depth chart entering training camp behind Trae Young, Delon Wright and Lou Williams. Plus, Cooper currently is on a two-way contract, which means a good portion of his minutes in his rookie season likely will be with the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks’ G League affiliate. There’s a bit of a change this season regarding two-way players; they’ll be eligible to be active for up to 50 of the 82 regular-season games and receive flat salaries of $462,629, half of the rookie minimum.
Advertisement
The Athletic recently sat down with Cooper in Las Vegas for summer league to talk about the draft, his view of the situation and playing with Trae Young. Parts of the interview have been edited for clarity.
What have these past few weeks been like for you as you get adjusted to life as an NBA player?
It’s all been a blur. It’s all been so fast. I haven’t really been able to soak it all in yet. It’s been good, though, so far.
What’s it like for yourself to be drafted by a team that you likely grew up watching with yourself being from Atlanta and havingyour familyclose by?
It’s extremely dope. It’s something that you don’t imagine for yourself growing up. I haven’t experienced it fully yet by playing in Philips Arena.
You mean State Farm Arena now!
Oops. I definitely meant State Farm Arena. I’m still thinking about the old days. But playing in there and having my family in there, too — I can’t wait for that. I’m looking forward to that. I grew up in the outskirts of Atlanta. I lived in Powder Springs.
Let’s talk about the draft. I think I can safely assume that you didn’t expect to be drafted as late as you did. I mean, I definitely thought you were going to be selected in the first round. What was going through your mind as the picks continued to get announced and your name still hadn’t been called?
I didn’t know what was going on or what to expect or what to think. It was surprising, for sure. I wasn’t going to let it affect my attitude or let it make me feel any type of way, because I believe in who I am as a player. I already knew that wherever you get drafted, you still have to go out there and play, and that’s whether (or not) you get drafted No. 1. You can be out of the league in three or four years. No matter where I got picked or where I got drafted, it really didn’t matter to me. All I was really thinking about that night was where I was going to be so I can get started immediately.
Advertisement
How motivating is it for yourself to think that every team, including the Hawks, passed on youin the first round?
It’s extremely motivating. I’ve been pushed to the back all of my life, honestly, and that’s no matter what I’ve done. I was named the National Player of the Year (in high school by USA Today and MaxPreps). When it’s all said and done, I still get pushed to the back. It’s nothing new to me. It’s something that has driven me all of my life. I don’t want to take away from the fact that the Hawks did choose me. I’m still extremely grateful to them for the opportunity.
When you say you feel like you were pushed to the back, what do you mean? I guess I don’t understand because you were a five-star prospect and, as you said, the national player of the year. Does it have to do with you not being the biggest guy?
That’s one reason. Basketball is very political. It’s a lot that goes into it. That’s definitely one reason. At the end of the day, basketball is basketball. You still have to play. We’ll see in a couple of years who can really play and who can’t play. That’s what I’ll say.
How do you view thissituation you’re in? The Hawks obviously have a star point guard who you play similarly to in that you’re both smaller and high-level creators who have a good handle. Is that ideal for you to learn from someone who issimilar to you?
Oh, for sure. He’s played in the league for three years already. He has a good amount of experience. He’s kind of the same build and same stature as me. I look forward to watching him work and watching him play. I can learn a lot from him, and I’m looking forward to competing every day. I feel like that’s what’s going to help me a lot in my future.
Trae is obviously the star of the team. You play the same position as him. There are other veterans ahead of you. How do you think you’ll handle the fact that minutes might be difficult to come by?
Well, Trae is my teammate and I never want to look like I’m trying to just take something from him. I’m definitely going to compete when we get on that court. You don’t have to worry about that. None of the other stuff matters, but with him as my teammate, I also want to empower him and see him do the best he can possibly do. It’s going to be a competition, for sure, but I’m also not trying to bully him out of his job. It’s a business, and he’s a great player in his own right. I feel like we’ll both be able to strive together.
Killa! 🤝 @TheTraeYoung x @SharifeCooper pic.twitter.com/gVCHFcPE82
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) August 11, 2021
Who’s been the mostimportant person to you with helping you get on this path to the NBA?
My dad (Omar), for sure. He was my coach, my trainer, he did everything for my basketball career. He was there during the late nights when I wanted to work out. He put me through everything I needed to get where I am today.
What was it like to share that moment with him on draft night to feel like you finally accomplished what you wanted to do?
It wasn’t so much of a “we made it” moment because there’s so much work that still needs to be done. It was definitely a great feeling, though. It’s like a weight off your shoulders. Finally, I’m actually here. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for so long, to say I’m on an NBA team. It was a relief. We have a lot of work to do though.
Advertisement
What would you say are your biggest strengths and the areas where you feel like you need to improve most coming into the NBA?
My strengths are that I can create plays. I can pass. I can score. I feel like I’m a leader. I like talking on the floor. My biggest weakness — I definitely want to be more efficient. I definitely want to take care of the ball better. I need to tighten up my overall game. I don’t feel like there’s one glaring weakness, but I definitely want to be more efficient when it comes to shooting, dribbling and passing. I want to work on everything.
When you were talking to teams in the pre-draft process, what did they tell you about what they liked in you and what they saw in yourself that could fit on an NBA roster?
Everyone liked my playmaking abilities. They all told me that having someone who can dribble, drive and create was valuable. A lot of teams told me that they didn’t have that and wanted that. But it was mainly about my playmaking ability.
I feel like in the NBA now, it’s super important to have someone who’s elite at playmaking for yourself and others. The Hawks now have two players who can do that. How important of a skill do you think it is in basketball today?
I feel like it’s extremely important. You need a point guard who is a general. I feel like some people try to diminish the value of point guards. I look at someone like LeBron as a point guard. I feel like the teams who constantly win have at least one player who can create at a high level. Whether it’s Chris Paul with the Suns, Jrue Holiday did a good job doing it for the Bucks, LeBron always does it … every team that wins has a true point guard. I’m not saying a two (guard) can’t be a one, but I feel like point guards are the guys who balance everything out. We are the ones who put people in their place and lead. I feel like point guards are extremely valuable.
Have you thought about what you want to accomplish this season foryourself and the team?
I definitely just want to help contribute to winning. I know this is a team that won at a high level this year after a couple of years of building. I just want to contribute (to) that. I just want to be efficient, make winning plays. I just want to affect winning any way I can. That’s what I’m here to do. The other things will come from that.
Have you thought about howchallenging it might be for yourself being on a two-way contract? Because one night you might be with College Park, the next night with Atlanta and then back to the G League.
I haven’t thought about it too much yet. I’m just going to roll with whatever comes my way. Whether that’s the G League, it doesn’t matter to me. Basketball games are basketball games. I’m definitely going to go out there and play my best, wherever it is. I know everything will turn out how I expect it to because I work extremely hard. I’m ready to be the best version of myself.
What would you like fans to know about you?
I’m a genuine person. I just want to win. I want to build this franchise and be a contributing factor to winning. I want to find a role and be the best version of myself in that role. I just want to make the Hawks a better team.
(Photo of Sharife Cooper by Bart Young/Getty Images)
Chris Kirschner is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the New York Yankees. He previously covered the Atlanta Hawks from 2018-2022 for The Athletic. Chris was named Georgia's Sportswriter of the Year in 2021 for his work covering the Hawks. Chris is a native of Bronx, NY. Follow Chris on Twitter @chriskirschner
