As Portland inches closer to building a contender, it's becoming more apparent that Shaedon Sharpe's ideal role would be as a sixth man. That may come as a surprise to some, considering Sharpe is the Trail Blazers' second-highest scorer and has the highest usage rate at just 22 years old.
Portland gained much-needed clarity in Sharpe's recent injury absence. The starting lineup of Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan has been thriving, with a +15.6 net rating, in large part due to an elite defensive rating of 102.3.
Portland's offense ranks near the bottom of the league in key playmaking and shooting categories. And while Henderson still needs to become a more reliable decision-maker, he offers that starting unit an additional ball-handler and a more consistent floor spacer than Sharpe. He's also taken tremendous strides on the defensive end, and you can tell that Holiday's veteran presence is making an impact on Henderson's two-way development.
Blazers are at their best when Shaedon Sharpe comes off the bench
This is not to say that Henderson is a better player than Sharpe. In fact, Sharpe possesses arguably the most raw talent on the entire roster. But at the same time, Sharpe isn't a complete player at this point in his career. There's a reason Chauncey Billups benched him last season, and the Blazers went on a run shortly after that decision.
He's limited in key aspects of the game and remains one-dimensional as a score-first player. That's still valuable to bring off the bench as a sparkplug for the Blazers' second unit, which desperately needs more scoring and shot creation. They have so many defensive-minded role players and would benefit from Sharpe's offensive initiation, where he could thrive with the ball in his hands and that high usage rate.
But in terms of the starting lineup, Sharpe doesn't fit Joe Cronin's vision. Portland has a more balanced attack without Sharpe. They have better ball movement, an offense more centered on Avdija at the point forward, multiple pests defending out on the perimeter, and at least relatively better shooting.
Portland will have to reevaluate the starting five when Damian Lillard is back in the picture. But it's now been two consecutive seasons in which Portland has been better off with Sharpe coming off the bench. That's a telling trend going forward and should continue to hold regardless of what their starting lineup ultimately evolves into.
Sharpe and the Blazers are both at their best in that sixth man role. While that may come as a disappointment to some given Sharpe's star potential, that's the reality of the situation and where he's currently at in terms of his two-way impact on the game.
But even if that is his role from now on, it's not a bad financial situation for Portland. His four-year, $90 million extension is still a reasonable value for what would be one of the league's best bench players.
He also has plenty of time and upside to prove to Portland that he's worthy of a larger role.
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