Before this season started, it looked like the hopes of the Portland Trail Blazers — in 2025 and well beyond — rested primarily on the shoulders of Shaedon Sharpe. The No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft has a thrilling skillset, and looked like the obvious skeleton key to everything this era of the Blazers wants to accomplish.
And Sharpe has improved yet again in 2025-26; he's averaging nearly 22 points per game, the second-leading scorer on a team smack in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race. But it's also becoming increasingly clear that Sharpe will be best suited as a very good complementary star rather than the man who makes things go himself.
In the Blazers' last two games, Sharpe has gone 13-35 from the field and scored 30 total points. Importantly, the Blazers have been without Deni Avdija in those games, and Sharpe has been the de facto go-to option in those games. With more defensive attention, Sharpe has struggled mightily.
That's not unusual, for the record. Most guys struggle with more defensive attention. But now, in year four, I think it's fair to say we have a clearer picture of who Shaedon Sharpe is — a highly importland player to a team like the 2025-26 Blazers, but not the guy.
Shaedon Sharpe has a long way to becoming the primary option
And that's okay! There are literally only a handful of players who can be trusted as the No. 1 option on a team with real aspirations. Sharpe not being one of those guys shouldn't come as a disappointment, really, especially because he has played very well as the Blazers' second option next to Deni Avdija.
In fact, Sharpe turning into a great secondary scorer is still a highly positive outcome for his career. He was such a mystery when the Blazers first drafted him that, if he can be prime Khris Middleton, that's a front office win.
And I know it's fun to dream of the potential of young players, and Sharpe, every once in a while, appeared to be on a Donovan Mitchell track instead. But finding out what he can do (and what his limits are) in year four is important for how this team builds going forward.
Shaedon Sharpe is a building block for the Blazers. We're learning in real time that he might not be the building block in which the rest of the roster is built around. But that doesn't mean he's not an essential part of this team's plans.