NBA Draft 2021: Stock watch after month of conference games

With two months of college basketball in the books, and almost every team has played a handful of games, it’s time for another NBA Draft “stock watch”. Whose has improved and whose has declined?

Conference games are in full swing (minor some pauses and postponements) and it almost feels like a normal January from a college basketball perspective…maybe except for Kentucky and Duke being bad. The conference games have allowed for prospects in the same region to square off.

The SEC in particular has a wide range of guys on different teams. From Tennessee’s bunch to Cam Thomas on LSU, Tre Mann on Florida, Moses Moody on Arkansas, and the group of Kentucky players (who I’ll talk about here).

Without further ado, let’s talk about some prospects.

*stats as of January 25

Sharife Cooper- Auburn – Freshman – 6’1, 180 lbs

Stock: Up

Since gaining eligibility, Cooper has burst onto the college basketball scene and has made Auburn a good and very fun team. Cooper has flashed his on-ball brilliance. He can go by his defender, seemingly whenever he wants, using his combination of speed and handling ability. He knows how to read and manipulate defenders with his passing. Whether it’s hitting the roll man, or locating the corner shooter, Cooper constantly makes the right read. He’s averaging nine assists per game, which leads the NCAA.

Despite having some pretty atrocious shooting splits (39% from the field, 20% from three), Cooper is still scoring over 20 points per game. He’s getting to the free throw line nine times per game, and knocking them down. Being undersized, Cooper has predictably struggled to finish through contact. He’s getting over eight rim attempts per game but shooting just 50% on those attempts. The lack of size has also led to plenty of turnovers. Passes he used to be able to make are getting stolen, a problem that will continue to the next level as the athletes get bigger and stronger.

Cooper needed to play to give scouts a look at what he brings, so his stock has risen in that regard. But Cooper is a fascinating eval. He’s one of the burstiest players in the class with special passing ability. The lack of shooting and size though severely limits his upside. The jumper mechanics are pretty atrocious, shooting a set shot that he needs time to get off. Defensively, it’s always going to be an uphill battle for Cooper, but he’s at least worked hard.

Cooper’s physical profile may ultimately hinder his upside. He might just be an exciting backup guard. I have him at No. 32 on my current board. Regardless, he’s established himself as a bonafide future NBA player after a few weeks of playing.