How High is Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe’s Ceiling?

One of the most exciting things about thePortland Trail Blazers’ season is the development of second-year pro Shaedon Sharpe.

Sharpe, 20, averaged 9.9 points, three rebounds and 1.2 points per game as a rookie, but those numbers don’t do the last stretch of the season justice. He averaged 23.7 points in the final 10 games of the season, when Damian Lillard was out of the lineup. With Lillard likely gone soon, Sharpe will likely play more like he did at the end of last season than the beginning.

Bleacher Report’s Andy Baileylists Sharpe with the fifth-highest ceiling in the 2022NBA Draftclass.

Shaedon Sharpe doesn’t really have the numbers on his side here. He averaged single-digit points per game for a team that was tanking, had low assist, steal and blockratesand posted a paltry 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

But numbers can’t always measure upside, and he showed plenty during his age-19 campaign to suggest he could develop into a star wing.

What is perhaps most impressive about Sharpe is the vertical athleticism that churned out enough highlights for the NBA to produce a 15-minute highlightreel. Few (if any) players in the league can get from the ground to the cup as explosively. And that’s an attribute that’s more natural than taught.

Add the stuff that can be coached to that, and you’re looking a potentially dynamic scorer.

The only players ranked ahead of Sharpe are Jabari Smith Jr. (Houston Rockets), Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder), Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder) and reigning Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic).