For all of the relentless losing they sustained, the 2025-26 Washington Wizards had no shortage of come-up stories. And their positive development trends went well beyond prospects like Tre Johnson and Will Riley for whom the franchise rolled out the red carpet; even margin contributors like Julian Reese managed to take advantage of their more-limited opportunities, proving that they, too, can hang with Washington's in-house big leaguers while offering necessary skillsets. Sharife Cooper was the sole two-way player who stuck around on that halfway-guaranteed road to NBA minutes all season, as the Wizards' second-round draftees in Tristan Vukcevic and Jamir Watkins each earned full deals as the campaign progressed, but that's not to say that Cooper disappointed. In fact, he earned the respect of Wizards On SI reporters Bryson Akins and Henry J. Brown amidst his journey from a cloutless benchwarmer into a nightly on-ball option. "I will admit, Cooper surprised me this season.…