With each practice, Trail Blazers rookie Shaedon Sharpe becomes less of a mystery.
Even though he practiced but didn’t play in his only season at Kentucky, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin and his staff were confident they knew enough to take Sharpe, a guard. 6-6 who grew up in Canada and played his prep ball. in Arizona, with the seventh overall pick of the 2022 draft, Portland’s highest selection since selecting Damian Lillard with the sixth pick of the 2012 draft.
However, a minor shoulder injury suffered in the opening minutes of his Summer League debut sidelined Sharpe for the duration of Portland’s run in Las Vegas, depriving the curious, whether fans or his new teammates and coaches, of their first real opportunity to see Sharpe in game action.
After a few weeks of rehab, Sharpe was cleared to participate in basketball activities, so most of his teammates at least got to see what he was capable of during informal workouts at the training facility. team in Tualatin before the start of the 2022-23 campaign. . But now that training camp is well underway, Sharpe has had the opportunity to show what he is capable of in a structured setting, and everyone agrees it’s a good start.
“The first few days were pretty solid,” Sharpe said. “I got to know the sets and everything, I was able to compete. The first few days in the books were pretty good. The information they give us, attack and defense, I feel like I understand things quite easily. I just have to go through it once or twice and it should be good.
Even those who spend years playing at the highest levels of the college ranks have to adapt to the speed of NBA play, so it’s not only natural, but it’s expected that a player who doesn’t have seen almost no gaming action for over a year would need some time to acclimate. This process is already well underway after the early days of training camp on campus at UC Santa Barbara, and will continue throughout preseason and likely the regular season, although Sharpe has already noticed a improvement.
“At first the speed was fast, but now that we’ve gone five-on-five a few times, it’s starting to slow down and everything,” the 19-year-old rookie said. “You just have to get used to the sets, where being on the pitch is just slowed down.”
Although Sharpe’s natural ability has allowed him to make plays in camp even as he gets used to the NBA game. It’s easy to visualize (with the help of a few highlight clips) the athleticism and ease with which he moves around the pitch from an attacking perspective, although he has also used those talents in the game. other end of the field.
“I think (Sharpe) is one of those guys who’s going to be able to use his athleticism at both ends of the court,” Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups said. “He’s really long, he’s already an incredible shot blocker, he’s never offside. He’s going to meet guys on the square, it’s incredible the instinct he has on that side.
“I watched him train a few times when he got injured. Super talented, he pretty much has it all,” said Anfernee Simons. “He had a good scrum today, especially the last game, he was making a few plays. I think as soon as everything falls into place for him and things start to slow down, I think he’s going to be a problem for sure.
Sharpe, playing alongside Damian Lillard – who recently called the rookie “world talent” – Simons, Josh Hart and Gary Payton II, will have the luxury of learning what it takes to be an NBA guard without the same level of pressure that Top 10 picks often encounter in their first season. But the early days of learning from the “mystery man” of the 2022 draft have been successful for both Sharpe and his teammates.
“I like to attack the rim, force the defense to really defend and play defense, try to make mistakes and also involve my teammates. And in defense, help my teammates as much as I can, let it be help , narrow the pitch and go from one to five,” Sharpe said. “They learn how I play and how I like to play, where I like the ball. Same with me for them. Knowing where they like to play, how they play and where they sometimes want the ball on the pitch.
