Portland Trail Blazers rookie guard Shaedon Sharpe did not perform to the expectations that he was the no. 7 overall pick for 2022’s NBA Draft during his preseason debut on Monday evening in Seattle, Washington.
Apart from a stunning block shot Sharpe was often lost out of synch and amazed by the moment.
It’s nothing major. He’s only 19 and the Blazers losing 102-97 against the LA Clippers at Climate Pledge Arena was his first game since high school. He had having not played at all during the during his time at Kentucky.
“I just wanted to get out, compete, and play hard, and make stops to truly assist my teammates with the offensive side,” Sharpe said. “That was the main goal throughout the entire day.”
Sharpe missed four of his attempts within 15 minutes of action . He did end with just two points, two rebounds, an assist and the shot that was blocked.
It’s not the first step that the fans were hoping for from Sharpe who the Blazers have identified as an important player early during his career. The team awaits his chance to develop into a star in the future.
While at a training camp last week at Santa Barbara, California, coach Chauncey Billups, Damian Lillard and others praised Sharpe’s potential. However, they also stressed the importance of patience, given his young age.
“His head is turning,” Billups said Monday night. “He’s only 19. He’s just a rookie. You go out and you don’t remember the rules and he was in awe of taking part on the court in the NBA game. However, as you will see, his speed will be evident every time he steps on the court. In addition, the game, and every other thing we do will become more difficult for him as we continue to train.”
Sharpe was close to completing some potentially stunning dunks but was a foul prone player. The block he made of Xavier moon’s effort to drive in the fourth quarter caused the crowd to gasp. However, he couldn’t seem to find the right rhythm in offense.
“I tried to display some of my abilities but I didn’t show my best today.” He said. “Just continue and prepare for the next game on Monday. “The Blazers (0-1) take on Utah (0-1) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, in the Moda Center.
The excitement grabbed Sharpe in his first game of the preseason. Sharpe missed an opportunity to practice for the summer league after an injury to his shoulder just within five minutes of the beginning quarter of the game forced Sharpe to the sidelines for good. “I think that my head spun small amount,” Sharpe said. “I refer to it as that time of year in the NFL. “The point was made when he first watched Clippers’ All-Stars, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
“I’d seen them on TV and everything else,” he added. “And I was playing against them is amazing.”The swelled-up sellout crowd of 18,440 also had an impact on Sharpe. “The crowd was at the game all the time,” he said. “It’s crazy. It was fun to play in front of a large number of people. I haven’t played for a while. It was nice to get returning to the task.” A wealth of opportunities and learning await you.