2021 NBA Draft Big Board — 16. Sharife Cooper, Auburn
Sharife Cooper averaged 20.2 points and 8.1 assists as a freshman, cementing his status as one of the draft’s premier playmakers. He is electric with the ball in hand, tossing passes in every direction, with elite perception and precision. He can pick defenses apart out of the pick-and-roll, and clearly has the scoring acumen to elevate his passing chops.
There is no doubt Cooper can command the floor and run an offense at the next level. That said, he would do well to improve his 3-point shot. He hit only 22.8 percent of his 3s at Auburn, and while there’s reason to believe he can improve, that’s a troubling number for a short guard with less-than-elite athleticism.
2021 NBA Draft Big Board — 15. Cameron Thomas, LSU
As pure a bucket as you’ll find on this draft board, there’s no questioning Cameron Thomas’ ability to put the basketball in the basket. He’s a throwback mid-range scorer, with endless confidence isolating and breaking down his man one-on-one. Thomas should have no trouble extending his range to the NBA 3-point line, and he’s a talented off-ball scorer as well. He has a nose for the basket, simple as that.
For Thomas, the next step is finding a nose for other things. He can get black-hole syndrome from time to time, and struggles to involve teammates. If he can learn to leverage his scoring acumen for the benefit of others, he has All-Star upside. Hopefully, he goes to a situation built to curb his bad habits, not encourage them.