Young Trail Blazers Guard Named Top-30 Player At His Position

Is he ranked too high or too low?

The Portland Trail Blazers finished last season with a record of 21-61, culminating in one of the worst years in the NBA. It helped the team get a top 10 draft pick, ultimately landing center Donovan Clingan out of UConn.

Portland has a few nice, young pieces on the roster that the team will be counting on moving forward. As the Trail Blazers core continues to grow and develop, the hope is that Portland can get itself back into a place of contention in the Western Conference.

One player that Portland is particularly high on is guard Shaedon Sharpe. Sharpe has emerged from the pack since being drafted and is expected to be one of the main contributors to the team this coming season.

Sharpe has already started to make a name for himself around the league as well. He came in ranked in the top 30 of a shooting guard list around the NBA.

Frank Urbina of HoopsHype listed Sharpe at No. 26, giving Portland a solid young player.

"One of the reasons Simons is considered to be a trade candidate is because of the play of incoming third-year guard Shaedon Sharpe, who was impressive in his age-20 campaign putting up nearly 16 points and five rebounds per game. The sample size (32 games) was small but overall, Sharpe is a heady player with athleticism and bucket-getting ability, one who has a lot of promise. Portland will get a long look at him and try to develop him even further over the coming seasons of its rebuild"

Portland has reportedly been looking to move guard Anfernee Simons this summer, partly due to Sharpe's growth. Last season, he averaged 15.9, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.

Sharpe will need to improve his 3-point shooting this season as he came in at 33.3 percent from deep last year. In his rookie campaign, Sharpe shot 36.0 percent from beyond the 3-point line so he did see a small drop in percentages.

For Portland to fully trust him on the court, consistently knocking down his shots will be key. The Trail Blazers will give him ample playing time this season to prove he should be around for the long haul.

If Sharpe can prove himself, he could reap the benefits of a long-term deal. It's not a make-or-break year for Sharpe but rather, one that could help determine how he is viewed within the Trail Blazers organization.

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