Shaedon Sharpe can shoot 3-pointers. I'm sure of it. When he makes 3-pointers, it doesn't feel like an accident. So why doesn't he make very many of them?
In his three full NBA seasons, Sharpe has been a league-average 3-point shooter one time. That came in his rookie year, where he shot almost exactly league-average at 36.0%. Since then, his 3PT% has been trending downwards, and to start 2025-26, he's shooting just 25% from outside (12 for 45).
And a reliable long ball from Sharpe isn't a luxury — for a Blazers team with so few consistent options from downtown (they're No. 25 in 3-point percentage right now) it's closer to a necessity. This team needs all the 3-point shooting it can get, especially from a guy who fans (this writer included) believe can eventually be the team's go-to scorer.
Plenty of NBA stars manage to score consistently without an elite 3-point shot. De'Aaron Fox, Cade Cunningham, and Franz Wagner are all average (at best) longball shooters, and each of them is doing just fine as a scorer.
But each of them also has a standout skill that compensates for a lack of shooting; Fox's speed and rim finishing might be the best in basketball, Cade's passing and playmaking make him an all-around offensive threat, and Wagner's driving ability (and 6-foot-10 frame) keep him dangerous.
Sharpe doesn't have that "other thing" to keep him dangerous as a scorer. Without a shot, he's far less of a threat. He can still use his athletic gifts to attack the hoop and hit the occasional mid-range jumper, but a pretty big element of his repertoire is eliminated when the shot isn't falling... And it hasn't been falling more often than it has been.
Shaedon Sharpe's shot is a necessary part of his development
I think we all assumed that Sharpe's shot would not be a roadblock in his development. His facilitation, playmaking, focus, and consistency seemed far more pressing on his checklist. Even with a few seasons of lackluster shooting, the consensus among Blazers fans was that Sharpe was still a good shooter.
What if his outside shot is a bigger question mark than we realized? Sharpe shoots with such confidence every time, and I always believe that he's on the verge of getting hot from downtown — but that has seldom been the case throughout his career. In year four, it's becoming more concerning.
Shaedon Sharpe can still be a high-level offensive player if he never becomes a great playmaker. He can still achieve it without being an elite finisher. He can probably even do it without being an elite foul-drawer.
Can he reach his ceiling without being at least a good 3-point shooter? I lean towards "no." And I would rather not have to figure that out. Sharpe is now locked up on a 4-year extension with the team, a vote of confidence from the Blazers that he will become the offensive weapon we all know he can be. That confidence also, presumably, includes the belief that his 3-point shot will improve considerably. Because Sharpe can be a great player without a lot of things — this is not one of them.