Blazers Lottery Pick Gets Bleak Outlook From NBA Insider

Mar 25, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8), guard Shaedon Sharpe (17), center Donovan Clingan (23) and Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) fight for a loose ball in the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images | Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

Can Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe ever become the All-Star fans hoped he would be?

The former No. 7 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Sharpe is an exhilarating athlete to watch, but occasionally seems to lack that clutch gene that helps teams win games. Portland's decision to bring in a pair of 35-year-old former All-Star guards, Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard, certainly seemed to signal an acknowledgement that Sharpe and point guard Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick in 2023, may not be seen as the team's future anymore.

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Young forwards Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara certainly emerged as Portland's best young prospects by the end of last season, and this move to add more reliable older guards could be an indicator that Sharpe and Henderson's days could be numbered if they don't shape up soon.

During a new episode of his "The Kevin O'Connor Podcast," during which he and Steve Jones Jr. previewed the Northwest Division, Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor gave a fairly bleaker prognosis for Sharpe's future.

 "He feels lost in this mix here," O'Connor opined.

O'Connor has a point here.

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Sharpe clearly has been lapped by Avdija and Camara developmentally, and the additions of these more seasoned guards is an obvious sign of Cronin's priorities going forward.

"He's just kind of become an afterthought when you look at the Blazers," O'Connor added. "Elite athlete, dynamic scorer... is there a winning player in there? How does he fit into this ecosystem with the Blazers? Where is his place on this team?"

Shaedon Sharpe's Productive Output

The 6-foot-6 swingman averaged an encouraging 18.5 points on .452/.311/.785 shooting splits, 4.5 boards, 2.8 dimes, and 0.9 swipes a night across his 72 healthy games (52 starts) in 2024-25. His inconsistent 3-point shooting is a bit concerning, especially if he's going to play more minutes off the ball.

Funnily enough, the 22-year-old's long range sniping has fallen off a bit year-over-year, as he has gotten comfortable chucking more treys. As a rookie in 2022-23, Sharpe connected on 36 percent of his 3.5 triple tries. He missed 50 games in 2023-24, but when he did play he allowed himself to take more attempts beyond the arc, while making fewer of them. He nailed 33.3 percent on 5.6 takes. Last year, he took a career-most 6.6 3-point heaves, making a career-worst 31.1 percent.

For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.