The Shaedon Sharpe conundrum that will define the Trail Blazers' rebuild

Based on the initial estimated recovery timeline that was given when Shaedon Sharpe suffered yet another small labral tear in his left shoulder, the Portland Trail Blazers are going to get their high-flying guard back at some point this month. Sharpe's injury occurred on October 5, and the timeline provided was 4-6 weeks.

He still isn't cleared to play in Portland's game against New Orleans (although Robert Williams III has been upgraded to questionable), but it sounds like Sharpe should be back within the next week or two, with November 16 being the latest return date, at least based on the estimations.

Shaedon Sharpe is the most important piece in Blazers' rebuild

When Sharpe returns, head coach Chauncey Billups is going to have a difficult decision to make regarding who should be their starting five. It was already challenging with Sharpe out, as Scoot Henderson is currently coming off the bench and has made a strong case for being promoted into the starting lineup despite his inconsistent play as of late.

Scoot and Sharpe are the two most essential pieces in determining the success of the Blazers' rebuild. GM Joe Cronin mentioned how the leaps they, as well as Donovan Clingan, take will determine the timeline of their rebuilding process.

“We're still in the earlier stages [of rebuilding] just because there’s so much left to prove with this group. A lot of that is based on what your young guys are capable of and when they’re going to be ready. We’ve heavily invested draft pick-wise in the past three years with Shaedon, Scoot, and now Donovan. Until those guys take steps and play winning basketball, we’re not going to win at the level we need to. Part of it is up to them."

Blazers face crucial decision next year on Sharpe's future

Out of everyone on the Blazers' roster, Sharpe arguably has the best chance of becoming an All-Star. Although he's shown flashes of that level of upside so far in his first two seasons, Sharpe has yet to piece it all together.

Unfortunately, a large part of that was due to a core muscle injury that caused him to miss 50 games last season. When Sharpe comes back, he could finally have that breakout season that Blazers fans have been anticipating. One potential roadblock is that Portland isn't doing a great job of setting up their up-and-coming players for success, delegating them to bench roles or, in some cases, limited minutes, while they questionably keep veterans on their rebuilding roster.

Prioritizing Sharpe should be at the forefront of any decisions that both Cronin and Billups make for the remainder of the season. The 2022 draft class is eligible for rookie-scale extensions next year, and the Blazers need to find out exactly what they have in Sharpe before making such a crucial decision.