Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe has torn his left shoulder and is expected to miss the start of the season, the team said Saturday. An MRI this week confirmed the tear.
Sharpe will begin rehab and is expected to miss four to six weeks, the team said. The Trail Blazers open their regular season on Oct. 23 against the Golden State Warriors.
Sharpe, 21, had a breakout season last year on a rebuilding Portland team. In 32 games (25 starts), he averaged career highs of 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 33.1 minutes per contest.
Shaedon Sharpe suffered a minor labral tear in his left shoulder, an MRI confirmed this week.
Sharpe will begin rehab and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
– Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) October 5, 2024
However, he played a little bit after suffering a stomach ache in December. He ended up having surgery in February and missed the entire season.
The 6-foot-6 Sharpe posted season-highs of 29 points and 10 rebounds against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 30, 2023. He finished 11-of-15 (73.3%) shooting from the floor and drained four 3-pointers.
Portland selected Sharpe seventh overall in the 2022 NBA draft out of the University of Kentucky.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe averaged 9.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game in his rookie season.
Although Sharpe did not play at Kentucky, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in the 2021 Nike Elite Youth Basketball League and helped Canada’s National Team win silver at the 2019 FIBA U16 America’s Championship.
“Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to play in the NBA,” Sharpe said at the post-draft press conference. “My dream has come true, so I am very happy. But I can’t wait to get to Portland and get started.”
In Portland’s 120-80 loss to the Sacramento Kings on March 29, 2023, he recorded a career-high 30 points on 10-of-27 (37%) shooting from the field, 6-of-13 (46.2%) from 3-point range , and all four made free throws.
“Shaedon has an incredible talent, and we are very excited about his future,” said Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin. “It’s a unique situation with Shaedon where he didn’t play college basketball, so he wasn’t seen or evaluated nearly as much as a lot of these other guys.
“But we’ve been lucky enough to have a good foundation built in Shaden from our past, especially some of the new recruits we’ve seen.”
In July 2022, Sharpe signed a four-year, $27.34 million contract. His 2024-25 team option worth $6.61 million was exercised last October. His $8.39 million club option for 2025-26 expires on October 31, 2024.
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