The Index · Legend

Michael CooperLos Angeles Lakers · #21

Guard · 6'4", 195 lb · 12th season

Michael Cooper is a retired guard best known with the Los Angeles Lakers. Coop; a DPOY wing on Showtime. Career averages: 8.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

Los Angeles Lakers roster More Guards

Balladex Impact · 71

⚖ Quick compare

Analysis by Beau Thoutt · Balladex

⬢ Rare

Los Angeles Lakers · #21 · Guard

Michael Cooper

Season avg6.4 pts · 2.8 reb · 2.7 ast · .387 fg

Career avg8.8 pts · 3.2 reb · 4.2 ast · .468 fg

IMPACTBalladex Impact 71 — Star starter tierINDEXMichael Cooper · Los Angeles LakersIMPACTBalladex Impact 71 — Star starter tierINDEXMichael Cooper · Los Angeles Lakers

Scouting report

Michael Cooper — the report card

Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades from the DNA model + real production.

C+

retired standout · guard · Impact 71

Michael Cooper is a retired guard best known with the Los Angeles Lakers. Coop; a DPOY wing on Showtime. Career averages: 8.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and

Offense

Defense

C-

Feel / IQ

C-

Playmaking

Average creator

tap for the data ↓

Scoring

Average scorer

tap for the data ↓

Rebounding

Below average on the glass

tap for the data ↓

3PT / spacing

Average spacing

tap for the data ↓

Perimeter D

Average on the perimeter

tap for the data ↓

Paint / rim D

Below average at the rim

tap for the data ↓

Clutch

Average late

tap for the data ↓

B-

Athleticism

Strong tools

tap for the data ↓

C-

Basketball IQ

Reads the game

tap for the data ↓

A+

Durability

Availability

tap for the data ↓

Act II

Where Michael Cooper stands

Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.

The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly

✦ Balladex Consensus: Star starter tier — a blend of Impact, production and résumé.

Futures & chases

—MVP odds

71Impact index

445Star score

Career scoring average8.8 ppg

Seasons in the index12

Accolades on file2

5× NBA Champion · 1× Defensive Player of the Year

Stat explorer

Michael Cooper — every number, three levels deep

Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.

Scoring

6.4 PPG

drill in ↓

C-

Playmaking

2.7 APG

drill in ↓

Rebounding

2.8 RPG

drill in ↓

Shooting

.318 3P%

drill in ↓

The engine

How the model sees Michael Cooper

Projection = per-minute rate × projected minutes. Rates are recency- and health-weighted, aged along a per-stat curve, and adjusted for live usage/role. No black box — every number shows its work.

Projected 1990-91 74% confidence

6.1

pts

4.4–7.8

2.7

reb

1.9–3.5

2.5

ast

1.8–3.2

22.4

min

proj

health

.407

fg%

~base

.345

3p%

~base

Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 12-season history below.

What moves the points line vs last season

Last season 6.4 → projected 6.1 PPG

Minutes / role

-0.2

Development (his trend)

-0.3

Age curve

+0.0

Live context

+0.1

Net vs last season-0.3 PPG

Everything it reads

📊

12 seasons of per-minute rates

every box line, minutes-normalized

real

⚖

Recency × games-played weight

recent, healthy seasons anchor the baseline

auto

📈

Weighted least-squares trend

his own trajectory, read season over season

+dev

🕰

Per-stat aging curves

age — — applied per stat

curve

🔌

Live role context

usage & role shifts fold in when the feed is present

+ctx

🏥

Durability signal

GP last 3: 61 / 80 / 80 → games & confidence

health

The real history it trains onsource: Basketball-Reference · verified

Michael Cooper career stats, season by season

Career stats by season
Season	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FG%	3P%
1978-79	3	2.3	2.0	0.0	0.0	.500
1979-80 CHIP	82	24.1	8.8	2.8	2.7	.524	.250
1980-81	81	32.4	9.4	4.1	4.1	.491	.211
1981-82 CHIP	76	28.9	11.9	3.5	3.0	.517	.118
1982-83	82	26.2	7.8	3.3	3.8	.535	.238
1983-84	82	29.1	9.0	3.2	5.9	.497	.314
1984-85 CHIP	82	26.7	8.6	3.1	5.2	.465	.285
1985-86	82	27.7	9.2	3.0	5.7	.452	.387
1986-87 CHIP	82	27.5	10.5	3.1	4.5	.438	.385
1987-88 CHIP	61	29.4	8.7	3.7	4.7	.392	.320
1988-89	80	24.3	7.3	2.4	3.9	.431	.381
1989-90	80	23.1	6.4	2.8	2.7	.387	.318
Career	873	27.1	8.8	3.2	4.2

Source: Basketball-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers Tonight's projection, EraLab, and the role simulator — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.

Act III

The Lab

Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.

Gold = MVP / Championship season · hover any bar. Real per-game data; per-36 & totals derived.

EraLab · the stat time machinenovel

Re-express a season in today's pace-and-space.

—raw PPG

→

—in 2026 pace

why

Player DNA + compssimilarity model

Closest comps

Al Cervi 98%Andre Iguodala 98%Andy Phillip 98%Bob Davies 98%Bob Wanzer 98%

⚖ Overlay a rival →

Scoring map · clickable zonesShotChart

Team-tinted. Modeled where tracking data is absent.

Role simulatorpowered by GM engine

Change the roster around him — his projection updates live.

If a key teammate misses 20 games →

Projected line shifts to — usage , assists rise as primary initiator. Title odds . Illustrative.

Context

Are the Los Angeles Lakers built to win?

Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.

51–31proj record

#5conf seed

+3.9net rtg

118.2off rtg

114.3def rtg

94%playoff odds

Roster delta · what changed

Aggressive hedge & help — Hedges hard on ball screens and rotates aggressive help from the weak side. Core trending steady. Defensive anchors: Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic.

How his role moves

Projected 51–31, 5th in the West. Real team projection from the roster + last-season baselines. His usage, minutes and creation load move with roster health.

Balladex Impact

71 of 99

Star starter tier.

Rarity

◆ Rare

Rank #93 of 715 in NBA.

Résumé

2 accolades

5× NBA Champion · 1× Defensive Player of the Year

Act IV

The Ballad of Michael Cooper

Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.

Los Angeles Lakers

Turning pro

Drafted 1978 as a Guard.

true

Michael Cooper is a retired retired standout. Coop; a DPOY wing on Showtime.

Chapter

He averaged 8.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists and won 5 championships over his career.

Where things stand

A retired standout and Los Angeles Lakers name.

▶

Cooper's story

The documentary, narrated

Highlights

▶ Congrats to #24HoopClass inductee, Michael Cooper!

Off the court

Measurables

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 195 lb
Draft: 1978
Jersey: #21

Legacy

Coop; a DPOY wing on Showtime.

The person

A retired retired standout and Los Angeles Lakers name.

Retired

Los Angeles Lakers

Champion

FAQ

Michael Cooper — frequently asked

The questions people ask most about Michael Cooper, answered.

What were Michael Cooper's career averages?

Michael Cooper averaged 8.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

Is Michael Cooper retired?

Yes — Michael Cooper is a retired guard.

Michael Cooper career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.