Shaedon Sharpe entered the NBA as a relatively unknown player, but the seventh pick is establishing himself as an impact player this season with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Prior to joining the Trail Blazers, Sharpe last played competitively in high school in 2021. He was the top high school recruit in 2022 before reclassifying to enroll early at Kentucky, but he never suited up for the Wildcats.
Despite a lack of recent tape, Sharpe was still viewed as a potential high draft pick given his potential and overall skills. He also has elite athleticism that intrigued plenty of teams drafting in the lottery because the trait could translate immediately to the NBA.
Though Sharpe had the tools to play, the 19-year-old needed to learn the terminology and coverages of the NBA. It can be quite a bit to learn, but Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups believes Sharpe is beginning to settle in.
He has come in and it has been a tough game for him to learn, you know? He really never even had a chance to learn the college game. He was thrust into learning the NBA game and it’s a lot. It’s a lot of things to study and a lot of things to watch but he is taking that task very seriously. He is starting now to understand what we want as a team, what his role is and what we need from him every single night.
Sharpe is averaging 7.8 points and 2.6 rebounds on 47% shooting from the field in 64 games. He is 15th in scoring among rookies and has finished in double figures 24 times, including a season-high 20 points on Nov. 17 in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Already this year, Sharpe has emerged as one of the top high-flyers in the league. He has punished the rim throughout the year and seemingly has at least one highlight-reel dunk each night. He briefly entered to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest but eventually withdrew.
He has shown that he can be more than just a dunker and has had good moments on both sides of the ball. He is still learning and has had some inconsistent moments, but Billups can see him improving.
He is up and down like a teenager usually is. He plays good sometimes, but sometimes he struggles with our coverages, our concepts and just staying locked in long enough. … That is something, if you’re a coach playing young players, that I have to live with but for the most part, overall, I think Shaedon is coming along very nicely.
Sharpe has emerged as a key player off the bench for the Trail Blazers and is thought to have a bright future ahead. The team loved his addition through the draft and believes he can produce on a nightly basis.
That should only improve the more he plays this year and beyond.
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