NBA Preseason: Breaking Down Shaedon Sharpe's First NBA Action

A breakdown of Shaedon Sharpe's five-game preseason stint with the Trail Blazers.

With the start of the NBA pre-season we finally got our chance to see the man of mystery, Shaedon Sharpe, in game action. After sitting out his one season at the University of Kentucky the No. 7 overall draft pick by the Portland Trailblazers also had his NBA Summer League cut short by an injury.

All stats used in this article, and the video breakdowns, are from the Trailblazers 5 pre season games that include a game against Maccabi Ra’anana.

Sharpe comes into his rookie season with plenty of hype and excitement, but also a few questions around his game. While there's no way all of these questions can be answered after five pre-season games, we did finally see the foundation of his strengths and weaknesses.

Starting on the offensive end, Sharpe looked very comfortable off the ball using screens. He showcased an ability to curl and finish at the rim, curl and stop for a floater and pull up from the mid range.

He also flashed some really nice off the ball possessions going backdoor and cutting when his primary defender turned his head. A couple of these results in Sharpe showing off that elite vertical bounce with a highlight reel alley-oop.

There's also the potential for a very good offensive rebounder with Sharpe’s athleticism and off the ball movements.

As impressive as Sharpe was off the ball, he definitely showed areas for growth when playing on the ball. You have to question his ability, or willingness, to create for teammates with just three total assists in these five games.

He also totaled eight turnovers in those games, with a handful of them simply being loose with his handle. Tightening that handle and creating opportunities, outside of tough mid range pull ups, for himself are things to keep an eye on during his rookie season.

Transitioning to the defensive side of the ball, Sharpe was able to utilize that athletic ability and explosiveness to be disruptive. He finished the pre-season with nine combined steals and blocks.

He consistently looked invested on this end of the floor and at times even showed really nice awareness on the weak side or with a rotation.

There is still plenty of room for growth in terms of the fundamentals for Sharpe on defense. He struggled to navigate screens on and off the ball and too often left his feet on a shot fake by the offensive player.

His biggest area for improvement throughout the season will be staying in front, on the ball. This is something that most rookies struggle with so Sharpe will not be alone but his growth in this area will be worth monitoring.

With Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, Gary Payton II and Josh Hart all in the Portland rotation his overall playing time will be something to keep an eye on as well. Sharpe’s minutes may come down to a competition between him and 2nd year guard, Keon Johnson. 

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