This particular draft class has a lot of first round depth. There’s multiple guys with high upside outside of the consensus top six players. A handful of teams will come out of the 2021 with later first round and maybe even early second round picks that go on to have long and successful careers.
Here are three prospects that are polarizing talents. They have strengths that NBA teams are looking for, but their weaknesses might limit their ability to reach their ceiling.
Sharife Cooper 6’0 Guard, Auburn
Cooper didn’t get many college games under his belt. Auburn had a self-imposed postseason ban, and the NCAA had an investigation about Cooper’s eligibility.
In the games he did play, the offense went through Cooper. He was Auburn’s best playmaker by far. He’ll come into the NBA with one of the best handles in the league along with the ability to make accurate passes with a live dribble. That skill at such a young age is extremely promising. Cooper also could draw fouls, which is a necessity for playmakers in the NBA. He averaged 8.6 free throw attempts per game.
Teams want Cooper’s ability to touch paint and make right and accurate reads without a ball screen. It’s rare to find someone so ready in this area of the game right off the bat. He doesn’t get sped up at all either. Defenses can’t get him off his path and he can play through contact and traffic.
He’s already a manipulative passer with his eyes and his ball placement. There are few guys in the league who have this ability. He’ll throw ball fakes after he picks up his dribble and dump it off to a teammate.
However, the reason why he isn’t a lottery lock is everything else in his game. Offensively, his slow set shot makes open looks tougher. All the time it takes to wind up his form allows the defense to get back in the picture and contest. He doesn’t have the high release point similar to Chris Paul that gets him more time to shoot over taller defenders. One other thing about his set shot is that he points his feet diagonally to the right. It’s very similar to how Cameron Payne shoots where there is a dramatic lean towards his dominant hand.
The issue isn’t necessarily what it means for makes and misses. Players turning their feet on a shot allows them to align their form with the rim. When the turn is too dramatic, however, it limits when they can get their shot off. For example, if Cooper wants to take a pull-up going towards the baseline from the top, it’s going to be awkward getting his feet in a comfortable position.
His floater and mid-range game isn’t anything to write home about either. He’s going to need to add these two elements to his game since getting to the rim is always going to be tough for him. Cooper does have some crafty moves on his drives like a euro-step and a double-pump reverse layup, but he struggles to finish off of these moves.
Cooper is going to need the floater to be a go-to move for him (think of Trae Young). He’s not going to be able to get all the way to the rim and his slow release allows defenders to rearview contest if he gets by them.
Defensively, he provides little to no resistance. That’s always going to be an issue for him because of his size. However, his remarkable core strength that shows up on offense can allow him to body up bigger defenders if he continues to get stronger.
Lastly, a small nitpick with is passing, but he does beg for the ball a lot. At Auburn he played exclusively at the top of the key and didn’t move without the ball much. Sometimes its necessary for players just to cut and create an open space for a teammate. More movement also allows him to catch the ball in situations where he has a step on a defender and can get to the paint easily. He also tends to hold the ball for most of the possession. Cooper can swing the ball from side to side a little more to keep the offense moving.
Cooper’s overall playmaking feel is going to translate from day one, but it’s the lack of anything else at an adequate level that is scary for his projection to the next level. The most likely outcome for Cooper is a backup point guard role where he can run an offense through him. It’s hard to scale him next to other on-ball creators in a starting lineup because of his inadequate shooting. However, if he can become a more consistent catch and shoot threat and add an in-between game like a floater or midrange he could be a huge steal.
Jalen Johnson 6’9 Forward, Duke
It’s easy to see what is so intriguing about Johnson. He is a fluid mover with and without the ball at 6’9, and he has natural vision. He’s active on defense and will be able to switch 1-4 at an NBA level. His insane athleticism permeates every part of his game.
The word playmaking encompasses one’s ability to get by a defender, create an advantage, and then made the correct read off the advantage. Johnson has the read part of playmaking down. The issue is he has trouble getting dribble penetration even against college fives. He’s tries to get to a straight line drive off a size-up or hesitation, but even at the college level bigs were able to cut him off at times.
The other way to get an advantage is with a ball screen. However, Johnson isn’t a consistent shooter and teams can easily nullify the screen by going under.
So, Johnson is able to finish plays by attacking the rim or dishing off to a teammate, but he isn’t able to get that separation on his own. He’s going to shine in situations where he attacks off a kickout or off cuts. The other area Johnson needs to improve in is his shot. If he can find some consistency in his form and shot pocket, teams are going to have to close out harder which opens up driving lanes. From there, if he can expand his game to the point where he can add some more wiggle to his handle to breakdown defenders, he’ll be a high-level starter maybe even All-Star since he’s a versatile addition to any defense.
The talent is there. He was a top-15 recruit in his high school class and appeared to be a lottery pick, but his college season raised more questions then answers. He opted out the rest of the season with Duke due to injury, but some teams see that as a red flag. Johnson also departed his high school, IMG Academy, under not so great circumstances.
It’s rare to find such a talented prospect outside of the lottery. He needs to hone in his shot and handle, but those are things that can be improved upon. The upside for Johnson could be worthy of a top ten selection. The natural ability is already there, it’s a matter of putting it all together.
Ziare Williams 6’9 Wing, Stanford
Out of Williams, Cooper, and Johnson, Ziare Williams has the highest upside. Williams is a talented shot creator who has an arsenal of pull-ups, jabs, and step-backs. It’s a high-level package to have at 6’9 that teams are always looking for. Now why is it that Williams might fall out of the lottery? He didn’t have the most inspiring season at Stanford, but looking at the circumstances it’s completely understandable. Stanford had to stay at a hotel for a month and played away from home due to the Bay Area COVID-19 restrictions. Williams also dealt with multiple personal matters throughout the season.
He couldn’t find an offensive rhythm during the year, but he showed some elite flashes getting to his jumpshot off the dribble. He has strong footwork because of a background in soccer. Williams also gets his shot off really quick. At the moment, his strongest offensive area is his one to two dribble pull-up, but he was able to turn those attacks into drives and some stepbacks. His offensive polish at his length is really exciting.
For an offensive-oriented player, Williams showed real focus on the defensive end. He was able to defend players in the pick and roll but also rotate off the ball as a help defender. It’s a great sign that he’s already committed to contributing on that end. He also has the feel to be a presence on that end.
Williams need to improve his strength and explosiveness. On his drives, he gets pushed off his line because of his frame and how narrow he plays. If he does get to the basket, he can’t always get vertical in traffic and finish over the top. If he gets space, however, he can finish above the rim with ease. His strength is going to unlock his offensive end. He’s going to be a three-level scorer similar to Tobias Harris, but with a better handle and a little more length.
Williams fell out of a lottery lock position because of the lack of substance at the college level and a lack of strength that will only be exasperated at the next level. However, considering his circumstances it’s clear why he only averaged 10.7 points per game. Regarding his strength, it’s a strong bet to make that he will improve in that area over the time. Once he does, it’ll unlock his game on both sides of the floor to the point where he has a chance to be an All-Star caliber player. If a team is patient with Williams, there is a chance in a few years he will be a top-five player in this talented draft class.
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