Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe got off to a late start this season having missed his teams first eight games. Sharpe was out due to an injury suffered in October. He was back on the floor Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs though and appeared to be fairly good form, to which his coach complimented following the game.
Trail Blazers Guard Shows No Signs of Rust in Season Debut
Trail Blazers Guard Shaedon Sharpe Played ‘Sound’ Basketball in Season Debut
It was a labral tare in the left shoulder that sidelined the 2022 seventh overall draft pick in early October. In the eight games Sharpe sat out, the Trail Blazers went 3-5. As the franchise is in a rebuild phase, that’s not a terrible start to the season. Unfortunately, they dropped their sixth game in San Antonio in Sharpe’s season debut. He went 6-of-9 for 13 points in 20 minutes coming off the bench.
Coming off the injury, it would have been expected to see some rust, however, according to Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Sharpe’s return was anything but that.
“I thought Shaedon [Sharpe] played really well, he looked comfortable, he looked very normal. I was worried that he would be a little antsy, and kind of do some things, just because he was just getting back, that would be uncharacteristic of him. But he never did that. He looked great. I thought his shot selection was good, for the most part. Defensively, I thought he was sound…I thought Shaedon played well, I was happy, and we’re happy to have him back”
It’s always a good sign when a key player returns to the lineup and immediately contributes. It will likely take several games for Sharpe to fully get his groove back. The Trail Blazers are counting on him to be an integral part of the team this year. Hopefully, this season will be void of anymore long-term injuries for the third-year player.
Third Season’s A Charm?
Coming out of college, Sharpe was hyped up to be one of the best picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. He still is an explosive player three years in. However, after playing in all but two games his rookie year, he missed 50 games in his second year due to surgery to repair a core muscle injury. Then he missed Portland’s first eight games this season. Playing in just 32 games his sophomore year was a hit to his development. While some his draft class contemporaries like Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams have excelled in many ways, Sharpe has taken a little more time.
Sharpe’s return to action though is a good sign for him and the Trail Blazers. After Thursday night’s game, he reflected on his debut and how he felt.
“I felt pretty good. Before the game, I had a little nerves, you know, I was excited. My whole goal was to come in and help my teammates, get them involved and compete at the highest level.”
Hopefully, Sharpe’s injuries are behind him and he can focus on this season as he continues to develop himself as an NBA player. As for the Trail Blazers, they’re hoping to improve as a team. Hopefully, that includes distancing themselves from being in last place in their conference as they were a season ago.
