In taking a stab at finding the next home for former Auburn basketball star Sharife Cooper, the SacBee sent him to a place that may just know how to utilize his specific set of skills.
Cooper is a wizard with the basketball in his hands and can run the fast break with the best of ’em. He and Devan Cambridge, JT Thor, and Jaylin Williams formed somewhat of a “Lob City South” through his ability to produce points in transition…with style.
That said, his shooting is a bit of a liability and his size makes him a tough matchup for many of the NBA’s bigger guards.
The SacBee’s Jason Anderson worked around that in his latest 2021 NBA mock draft, which sends Cooper to the Philadelphia 76ers:
"28. Philadelphia 76ersSharife Cooper, PG, 6-0, 165, AuburnCooper lacks size and perimeter shooting, but he’s an intriguing option after averaging 20.2 points, 8.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds as a freshman."
This isn’t the first time the City of Brotherly Love and Cooper have been linked. He has been sent to Philly in other mock drafts before.
The 76ers know a thing or two about having a point guard lacking a long-range stroke. Ben Simmons, the team’s de facto floor general, is more of a point forward in play-style, but like Cooper, is devastating in the open floor. While Simmons is far less a defensive liability than the six-foot-one Cooper–standing a shade under seven feet–whoever coaches the former Auburn basketball star needs to gameplan around the PG’s inability to shut down opposing defenders in the halfcourt.
Philadelphia just so happens to have one of the league’s great intimidators in Joel Embiid manning the paint. Simmons himself could take on the best opposing ball-handler in minutes staggered with Cooper. Even the second unit, where Cooper will likely play in year one, has Dwight Howard protecting the rim and making drivers think twice about entering the paint.
Philadelphia would be a great landing spot for Cooper if Anderson’s prediction holds true.