Sharife Cooper moves up in latest Bleacher Report NBA mock draft

Former Auburn stars Sharife Cooper and JT Thor are expected to go in the first round of the upcoming NBA draft.

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The 2021 NBA draft is just more than a month away and two former Auburn stars are waiting to find out where they will be starting their professional careers.

In the latest mock draft by Bleacher Report, both Sharife Cooper and JT are predicted as first-round picks with the former moving up a few spots from the last.

Cooper, who played just 12 games last season as a freshman due to eligibility and injury issues, is slotted at the No. 19 spot and going to the New York Knicks who made the playoffs for the first time since 2013 this past season. Former Auburn point guard Jared Harper was on the Knicks’ roster for a part of this season after making waves in the G League.

As for Thor, the freshman is predicted to go just five spots later with the No. 24 pick to the Houston Rockets who own the pick via the Milwaukee Bucks.

If both Cooper and Thor are selected in the first 32 picks, it will be the first time that two Auburn players have been selected in the first round of a NBA draft in program history.

The draft begins on Thursday, July 29.