Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe has become one of the most polarizing players in the NBA. His athletic gifts and three-level scoring potential are unavoidable, but even at 22 years of age, many are running of patience for him to rediscover what's become a broken jump shot.
With all eyes justifiably on Deni Avdija, Sharpe has quietly fixed his fatal flaw and become the sharpshooter the Trail Blazers hoped he could be.
Sharpe created a mountain of hype during a rookie season that saw him shoot 47.2 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from beyond the arc. The general consensus was that he'd established himself as a three-level scoring threat who'd develop into a franchise cornerstone.
The Trail Blazers wing has struggled to score with efficiency in the seasons that have followed, however, with his three-point field goal percentage decreasing across each of the next two years.
The concerning trend of regression continued when Sharpe buried just 25.2 percent of his three-point field goals between his first 17 games in 2025-26. Since Dec. 1, however, Sharpe has looked like an entirely different player.
Suddenly turning the corner that critics have sworn would be the difference between his All-Star potential and a wasted career, Sharpe deserves his flowers.
Shaedon Sharpe has found his jumper and reached a new level
Sharpe has appeared in each of the Trail Blazers' 18 games since Dec. 1. During that time, he's recorded averages of 22.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 steals, and 2.3 three-point field goals made per game on .456/.424/.765 shooting.
Sharpe has scored at least 20 points in 14 of the 18 games, which is a far more encouraging rate than the six times in 16 appearances he began the 2025-26 season with.
The significance of that number is simple: Portland is 8-2 over the past 10 games during which Sharpe has scored at least 20 points. With this in mind, his uptick in production and efficiency hasn't just been a matter of improving his individual level of play.
With Sharpe looking like the player the Trail Blazers paid him $90 million to be, the team has inevitably begun to win games.
Sharpe still has other questions to answer, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. What he's displayed on offense, however, is the ability to knock down the shots that he's spent the past three years struggling to make despite displaying proficiency as a rookie.
If Sharpe can continue to shoot with consistency, efficiency, and the proper dose of assertiveness, the Trail Blazers should turn the 2025-26 season into a memorable campaign.