Indiana Pacers Draft Profile: Auburn PG Sharife Cooper
By Luke Parrish
Auburn guard Sharife Cooper is a sneaky candidate for the Indiana Pacers with the 13th overall pick.
The Indiana Pacers hold the 13th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and have a great group of prospects to sort through before they make a decision. One player to keep an eye on is Auburn’s Sharife Cooper as he climbs draft boards.
Cooper has been a steady riser in recent weeks and could find himself in the back of the lottery when it is all said and done. The Pacers need to find depth in the backcourt while also planning for the future, making Cooper a considerable option at this stage.
The sample size for Sharife Cooper is pretty small as he heads to the NBA with just 12 collegiate games under his belt. In those 12 games, Cooper posted 20.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 8.1 assists while also contributing on defense.
His shooting numbers were alarming, hitting just 39.1 percent of his field goals and 22.8 percent of his threes but hitting 82.5 percent of his free throws tells me that he has the foundation to develop a shot.
Turnovers were also a bit high for Cooper but his ability to score and create for others mitigated that risk at the NCAA level. Can that stay true in the NBA?
Let’s take a look at Sharife Cooper and what he could provide for the Pacers as a prospect.