It's no secret that the Washington Wizards are a breeding ground for young talent. But among the list of promising Wiz-Kids, few have a story like Sharife Cooper .
In high school, he was a standout point guard and social media phenom at McEachern High. As a junior, he averaged 27.2 points and 4.3 steals per game and was named Georgia's 2018-19 Gatorade Player of the Year . His electric ball-handling and range from deep fueled viral highlights and made for one of the most iconic high school mixtapes of all time.
After emerging as one of the top point guards in the 2020 class , Cooper committed to Auburn University.
But controversy came before he ever stepped on the court.
Due to concerns involving benefits tied to his father, Omar Cooper, the NCAA ruled him ineligible for the first 12 games of the 2020-21 season. When he finally debuted, however, he instantly validated the hype, averaging 20.2 points and 8.1 assists per contest. After such a successful freshman season, Cooper decided to declare for the 2021 NBA Draft.
Draft night, however, brought a surprise. Cooper fell to the second round of the draft, where the Atlanta Hawks selected him 48th overall . Through stints in the G-League and overseas , Cooper never found his spot in the league as many expected.
Now, he has revived himself with the Wizards and reminded everyone why he was so highly touted.
This season marks Sharife Cooper's return to the NBA – his first since 2021-22. That year, he appeared in just 13 games and averaged only three minutes per contest. This season, that playtime has multiplied, and for good reason.
Cooper is shooting 50.8% from the floor and 37.8% from three, a level of efficiency he has never reached before.
He first came out of his shell in February. In a win against the Detroit Pistons , Cooper exploded for a then-career-high 18 points on 66.7% shooting. That outing marked the first time Cooper had even scored double digits in the league.
He followed the coming-out-party performance by scoring at least 10 points in three of the next five games. Cooper finished the February stretch tallying 9.4 points and 3.3 assists in 21.8 minutes per game.
He's no one-month-wonder, though, carrying his abilities into March.
In a loss against the Houston Rockets , Cooper played the best game of his NBA career. In just 17 minutes, Cooper racked up 21 points, three assists, and zero turnovers while shooting 80% from the floor. The next day, Cooper impressed yet again with 16 points in a loss against the Orlando Magic .
His scoring profile is a prime example of the modern guard. He generates the bulk of his scoring from three-point range, inside, and at the free-throw line. The result is a strong 59.7% true shooting mark.
In this short sample size, it's looking like he's getting closer to finding his form, as fans of his game had hoped for years.
Cooper's game has always required extra effort due to his size. At just 6-foot-0, 176 pounds, he lacks the ideal point guard build. Coming out of college, these physical limitations were one of the biggest reasons behind his slide out of the first round.
This year, he is using his frame to his advantage.
Undersized guards often use speed to offset their lack of strength, and that's the exact card Cooper has played. He has shown assertiveness in his drives to the rim, beating larger defenders off the dribble with his quick first step. The numbers back it up. Cooper hits 72.9% of his shots inside the restricted area, the most among guards on the Wizards.
Washington as a whole pushes the pace more with Cooper. With him on the floor, 32.7% of live rebounds lead to transition plays, ranking in the league's 84th percentile.
Cooper has also proved that heart means more than height on defense. With Cooper on the floor, 16.5% of opponent possessions end in turnovers, an 86th percentile mark.
He's gifted at everything a point guard is expected to do: run the pick and roll, drive, and cut. His smooth execution in two-man actions has made it difficult for defenses to cover both him and the roller.
This is the first real glimpse of what Sharife Cooper can do on an NBA floor. After spending years trying to get back into the league, he's displaying why he once carried so much hype in high school and college.
And he's doing it in the right place.
Teams like Washington are rebuilding and willing to take chances on youth. Cooper fits this blueprint.
Signing a two-way deal with the Wizards in September of last year, he entered the season as a developmental project. Now he's using the opportunity to carve out a legitimate role.
For a team leaning into its youth movement, a playmaker who pushes the pace and creates offense is worth giving minutes to.
If Cooper's production continues, Washington may have found another piece of its long-term puzzle.
The post Could Sharife Cooper Finally Blossom With the Wizards? appeared first on The Lead .
