5 picks from the 2021 NBA Draft that could surprise us

2021 NBA draft picks with potential to surprise: 5. Sharife Cooper

One of the big shocks of NBA draft night was how low Sharife Cooper fell.

Cooper was widely forecast as a first-round pick, or at the least a high second-round pick, but ended up going 48th to the Atlanta Hawks, who, like with the Johnson pick, snatched another talent that went lower than expected.

While undersized, Cooper showed he could score and create in college. He averaged 20.2 points at Auburn last year, along with 8.1 assists too. He demonstrated this ability at Summer League with some eye-catching passes and a memorable 3-point winner against the Indiana Pacers.

Cooper is someone that, given enough time, could develop into a nice second-string point guard off the bench when Trae Young needs a rest. He can learn a lot from Young, a similarly undersized player that thrives off his ability to create and score.

There is a long way to go when it comes to his jump shot and he does have a tendency to be a bit loose with the ball, but having signed with Atlanta on a to-way contract he will be able to hone his skills in the G-League while potentially getting some minutes in the NBA too.

While notable concerns around Cooper’s game remain, he has the tools to be a solid NBA point guard, much better than his draft spot suggests. It will take a lot of patience, but Atlanta came out of this draft with two intriguing prospects.