This offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers have committed to doubling down on their defensive identity. From the extensions of Joe Cronin and Chauncey Billups to the swap of Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday, this has been a point of emphasis from top to bottom as an organization. But this raises a critical question about their rebuild: where does Shaedon Sharpe fit into these plans?
The uncomfortable truth may be that he doesn't because of his lack of defense.
Fans don't want to hear this, but the Blazers may have to have an odd man out in their rebuild at some point. Given his defensive limitations compared to Portland's other rising talents, Sharpe could eventually be the odd man out. And in some ways, he already is. Billups made that apparent last season when he benched him.
Sharpe's defensive struggles make him Blazers' odd man out
Portland offloaded its weakest link on defense by shipping Simons to Boston, who had a team-worst defensive rating of 119.0 this past season. But Sharpe wasn't that far behind, finishing second-worst at 117.2. In fact, it was specifically Sharpe's defense that caused Billups to bench him midseason.
"I don't believe in playing on one side of the ball; I just can't allow that on my watch. [Shaedon] has to be better," Billups said.
Zach Lowe recently touched on this issue surrounding Sharpe's lack of two-way impact and how it doesn't align with Billups' vision on The Zach Lowe Show.
"Defensively, he was just not present enough last year to the point that Chauncey Billups not only demoted him to the bench, but called him out for this is the reason you are being demoted to the bench. It perked him up a bit, but not quite enough. I hope it perks him up more this year because there's an interesting player here, and I believe in his potential as a scorer," Lowe said.
Sharpe has the size, athleticism, and scoring ability to become a problem for opposing teams. The issue up to this point is that he remains more of a theoretical player who has yet to put it all together.
Typically, a rebuilding team would gladly continue investing in someone who turned 22 years old not too long ago, coming off a season where he averaged 18.5 points per game. But nothing about Portland's rebuild is conventional. From the selection of Yang Hansen or full circle moves involving Holiday and Damian Lillard, the Blazers' offseason has only complicated an already unclear path forward for their young core.
Portland has missed the playoffs for four consecutive years and has accelerated its timeline in an attempt to end that streak. If they want to go in full throttle mode, it wouldn't be surprising if Sharpe is the valuable trade asset they eventually dangle to land that true go-to star they're still missing. Whether they should depends on who that player is, how well he aligns with Portland's rebuild, and what other assets would have to be included.