We saw Portland's offense fall apart in Game 4 without Shaedon Sharpe's shot-creation, as he finished the contest with just eight points (3-6 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT) in 13 minutes. Sharpe was a +5 during that stretch, but he still didn't show enough to receive extended minutes from Tiago Splitter.
Even with Scoot Henderson struggling to generate any offense, Sharpe wasn't reliable enough on both ends to give Portland a change of pace. He was the epitome of a cone on the defensive end, the same troubles that resulted in Chauncey Billups' decision to bench him last season. Portland was better off because of it, as that decision coincided with their end-of-season stretch that almost resulted in a playoff appearance.
But now, the uncertainty surrounding Sharpe leaves the Blazers in an interesting predicament heading into the offseason.
Shaedon Sharpe doesn't fit with this Blazers roster
On the one hand, Portland just invested in Sharpe with a four-year, $90 million extension before the season. At just 22 years old, he's already their second-leading scorer at a career-high 20.8 points per game, with the highest usage rate on the team at 30.5 percent.
On the other hand, we're seeing how deflated the market has become on one-dimensional players who are defensive liabilities. Sharpe has the elite athleticism and positional size to become a solid defender, but he's yet to show meaningful progress in making that theoretical a reality.
He may be best served as a sixth man on a contender, which wouldn't even be a horrible outcome given the reasonable extension. However, that projected outcome should also mean he's not untouchable heading into the summer.
Portland could very well make a splash this offseason under new owner Tom Dundon, attempting to make a deep playoff run with Damian Lillard's anticipated return. If that is the case, Sharpe may have to be sacrificed along with a salary filler (like Jerami Grant) and draft capital.
Portland should be okay with that, as the postseason has shown he doesn't fit this roster.
The defensive limitations are a major red flag for a team that prides itself on its defensive identity. Splitter has realized he can't afford to have Sharpe out there for extended stretches in this series with San Antonio, as they exploit the mismatch, defeating the purpose of having four other quality defenders out there.
Offensively, the shot creation is surely missed, but it's not like Sharpe is a good enough playmaker or shooter to help Portland in the two key areas they lack. If anything, as a shooting guard, he makes those weaknesses even more magnified.
Portland's front office will have a challenging task determining how much of this is due to injury and how much to Sharpe's lack of fit with this roster. I think it's a combination, but the unfortunate timing means this is the only playoff sample size the Blazers have to go off of heading into a pivotal summer.
If they're not positive or confident that Sharpe is a legitimate building block, it wouldn't be a bad idea to package him for a star this summer. Some team out there will inevitably be intrigued by his star upside. But Blazers fans know that, despite the impressive counting stats, Sharpe still has a long way to go before reaching that ceiling.
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