The Portland Trail Blazers have built one of the most intriguing rosters in the NBA. A promising cast of up-and-coming players is due to be complemented by a two-time champion in Jrue Holiday and the returning leadership of Damian Lillard in a season that's already yielding high expectations.
If the Trail Blazers are going to live up to their potential, then they'll need promising wing Shaedon Sharpe to rediscover his jump shot.
Sharpe is one of the most captivating players on Portland's roster. At 22 years of age, he's already solidified his status as one of the fastest-rising players at his position, due in no small part to his continuous statistical improvement.
Sharpe has increased his scoring average across each of his NBA seasons, including a massive leap from the 2023-24 campaign to 2024-25.
This past season, Sharpe averaged 18.5 points in 31.3 minutes per game—up from 15.9 in 33.1 minutes in 2023-24. He also increased his field goal percentage from 40.6 percent to 45.2, and his eFG% from .475 to .519.
Unfortunately, Sharpe also shot 31.1 percent from beyond the arc—and his 33.3 percent shooting in 2023-24 doesn't exactly inspire faith in his ability to improve.
Shaedon Sharpe must rediscover rookie-year shooting form
Sharpe's dreadful three-point shooting has become a point of contention due to the volume of shots he continues to produce. He shot 33.3 percent on 5.6 three-point field goals attempts per game in 2023-24, and checked in at 31.1 percent on 6.6 attempts per contest in 2024-25.
The puzzling truth of Sharpe's lost jump shot, however, is that he buried a commendable 36.0 percent of his 3.5 three-point field goal attempts per game as a rookie.
The dynamic has changed in Portland, as many of the ball-dominant veterans have been traded or allowed to enter free agency. The reality remains, however, that Sharpe needs to be able to provide off-ball value as a shooter for the current formula to work.
That's due in no small part to Deni Avdija emerging as one of the most promising young players in the NBA, possessing the uncanny ability to bend a defense on the drive.
Unfortunately, Sharpe's coming off of a season in which he attempted 472 three-point field goals and converted less than one-third of them. That epitomizes the issue, as he's fallen in love with the long ball but is among the worst floor-spacers in the NBA.
That includes the fact that Sharpe buried just 31.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes—a far cry from shooting 45.5 percent in said situations as a rookie.
There are an abundance of reasons to like Sharpe's game, including his proficiency on the drive. He shot 6.3 percent higher than the league average in the restricted area in 2024-25, for instance, and displayed clear signs of potential as a midrange shooter.
If the Trail Blazers are going to put the pieces together and make the playoffs in 2025-26, however, then Sharpe must either improve his efficiency or alter his approach to three-point shooting.