The great return of Shaedon Sharpe • Basket USA

Yes, you can win in the NBA by having only one of your starters above ten points. It was enough for Portland last night to count on Shaedon Sharpe. The guard was sparkling with his 32 points against Atlanta, just after signing his career best with 33 units in the previous match against the Wolves. In the absence of Anfernee Simons, he has free rein to show himself and he does so in great detail.

The Canadian has always been seen as a great potential to be polished. For his third season, the Blazers are perhaps witnessing the takeoff of their young player, and not just for a few flashes at high altitude as has become customary. Propelled as the first offensive option against the Hawks, he struggled in the first period, like all the Portland starters, before completely turning things around after returning from the locker room: 24 points at 8/12, 5 assists and 3 interceptions!

Sharper and sharper

“Shaedon relies a lot on veterans and his teammates” explained his coach Chauncey Billups. “I try to get him out of that habit, and tell him to do what he thinks is best. If he can take the match into his own hands, let him do so. And I shouldn’t have to force him to take matters into his own hands. He’s a young player, he’s happy to return to the game this season, and he’s doing fantastic things. The better he plays, the more the rest of the team will push him to stay aggressive, because we need it.”

“I tell Shae every time that he has the keys to doing something truly special” assures Dalano Banton, who took his wing. “He is still very young, he has all the tools to be one of the best players in the league. He just has to keep working and believe in himself. He plays his best every night, he plays hard but whether it’s a good match or not, he has to keep the same mentality, not change anything in his routine and have confidence in his work. And it will work out well for him.”

This also goes well for the Blazers, winners of their third consecutive game on Sunday, and who can thank Shaedon Sharpe for that. He was the main detonator for his team in the third quarter, won 38-17 by the Oregon franchise. Shaedon Sharpe took care of everything with three consecutive dunks in the middle of the period, including a superb alley-oop. But he also showed his progress as a creator with five assists, being involved in 12 of his team’s last 14 points, the last two being “bonus” free throws following one of his caviars.

Spectacular and now decisive

In control, the Blazers, however, had to work hard at the end of the match to achieve their success. “Shae’ was amazing again in this match, he brought home the win” summarized Chauncey Billups. It was thanks to his winner a good meter behind the arc and the 24-second buzzer that Portland got back in front with one minute to go. “I knew we had to try something, so I looked at the clock, I saw 4, 3, 2, to 1, I just shot” described Shaedon Sharpe, as if nothing had happened. “I knew we absolutely had to score because this team doesn’t give up. I’m just trying to help him win and that’s what we did.”

Sharpe concluded his boss match with a 5/6 on shots in the last minute and the last eleven points of the Blazers. Will he still have the same room for maneuver when Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton, the two usual scoring leaders, return? “My teammates trust me to sign the actions that count” estimated the person concerned. “We found our cohesion, and we are on our way now. We must continue like this.”

Portland also seems of this opinion and announced the extension of Ayton’s absence after new radios on his index. In his absence, Shaedon Sharpe is averaging 27.3 points at 50.8% success.

How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.