Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe is coming off the best statistical season of his young career, averaging 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on 45/31/79 shooting splits. But signs point to him having an even better season in 2025-26. He's in the top ten in odds to win Most Improved Player of the Year on DraftKings Sportsbook, and for good reason.
It remains to be seen if Sharpe will be a starter next season. Head coach Chauncey Billups benched Sharpe last year because of his lackluster defense, which was a bold move that played a key role in Portland's midseason turnaround. Billups now has a difficult decision to make with Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan seemingly set to be in Portland's starting five, leaving just two spots for Sharpe, Scoot Hendrson, Jerami Grant, and the recently acquired Jrue Holiday.
However, regardless of Sharpe's status as a starter, it's apparent that he will have an increased role in the Blazers' offense.
Shaedon Sharpe is the real rising star in Portland's backcourt
Portland swapped offense for defense this summer. Anfernee Simons took his 19.3 points and 24.6 usage rate to Boston, while Deandre Ayton brought his 14.4 points and 19.5 usage rate to Los Angeles. Even Dalano Banton's departure leaves a scoring void as someone who averaged 8.3 points in just 16.7 minutes per game last season.
These subtractions cleared the path for Portland's youth to take on more offensive responsibility. Most of the talk has been about how these moves will positively impact Scoot Henderson. After all, he has the highest draft pedigree and is the one Portland has picked to build around over Simons and Damian Lillard's timeline in 2023.
But could the league be focusing on the wrong rising star in Portland's backcourt?
It was Sharpe who had the highest usage rate among qualified Blazers players last season at 25.2 percent. He's already a focal point in their offense and was the one who emerged as Avdija's sidekick down the stretch of last season. In April, he averaged All-Star-level numbers with 28.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.
Sharpe is just 22 years old and has the highest ceiling of anyone on Portland's roster. He possesses traits that could make him an eventual star in this league: elite athleticism, ideal positional size, underrated playmaking, and an undeniable "it" factor that comes along with his smooth playing style.
Of course, Sharpe's biggest strength can oftentimes be his greatest weakness, as that same smoothness can be perceived as passive. He has some Brandon Ingram in his game in terms of his inability to assert himself as one of the best players on the court. But Sharpe is quietly improving each year and slowly figuring out how to impose his will, specifically when it comes to utilizing his top-tier athleticism.
Sharpe had a down shooting year and is more of a three-point threat than his 31.1 percent from last season would indicate. All the pieces are falling into place: an increased role, positive shooting regression, and another year of development. Sharpe is poised to have that breakout season Blazers fans know he's more than capable of. The rest of the league should take notice, too.