Blazers Take Shaedon Sharpe With 7th Pick In NBA Draft

PORTLAND, OR —The Portland Trail Blazers drafted Canadian Shaedon Sharpe with the 7th overall pick in Thursday's NBA Draft.

Many predicted the 6-foot-6, 200-pound shooting guard from London, Ontario, who played high school ball in Arizona, would be the Blazers' selection.

In a post-draft press conference, Sharpe said he was looking forward to becoming a Blazer

"I'm really excited to come to Portland," Sharpe said. "They've got a lot of great guys that can really play. I just can't wait to really learn from Damian Lillard. He's a great guard himself, been in this league for mad time. So I just can't wait to really learn from him."

While Sharpe is familiar with Portland, it's unlikely many people in Portland will have seen too much of Sharpe, who never played college basketball.

The 19-year-old Sharpe was a 5-star recruit out of high school, who reclassified into the 2021 senior class and enrolled at Kentucky in the middle of last season. However, he only practiced with the Wildcats before declaring for the NBA Draft.

"It was difficult because you can't have a perfect career, so there were some ups and downs," Sharpe said. "But going from high school to college, not playing your college season and then straight to the NBA, it's quite a journey. But every step of the way I just fought and had fun with it."

Scouts clearly love what Sharpe brings to the table. Most importantly, Trail Blazers' first-year general manager Joe Cronin was impressed when Sharpe worked out at the team's facility in Tualatin on June 15.

In the spring, NBA draft expert Steve Dewald described Sharpe as a talented perimeter player with a small sample size of games against top competition.

"On the perimeter, Sharpe has the framework and athleticism of a modern first option," Dewald wrote on BlazersEdge.com "He creates space with ease off the dribble and around screens. Sharpe has a smooth, rise-and-fire shot form from beyond the arc.

"His mechanics should allow him to create for himself from all three levels once he develops. Inside the arc, Sharpe is an excellent finisher. He can complete highlight-worthy dunks and shield the ball from defenders with nifty layups."

Dewald continued: "As a ballhandler, Sharpe is comfortable operating as the first option. He plays with his head up and he can sense when the defense collapses around him. Defensively, Sharpe has an excellent frame. His 7-foot wingspan should translate to positional versatility in the NBA."

However, Dewald, said Sharpe will have to take a massive leap in competition.

"(Sharpe) rocketed up recruiting rankings thanks to stellar performances in a relatively small sample of games," Dewald wrote. "His prep career was altered by the COVID-19 pandemic and he sat out last season after committing to Kentucky.

"When he last played in live competition, Sharpe benefited from playing against loosely-assembled defenses. He was too often given space on the perimeter and he torched opponents with uncovered baseline cuts to the rim. Sharpe's efficiency could suffer against opponents that play off-ball defense."

Of course, Sharpe should have the luxury of easing into a guard rotation that already features the likes of Lillard, Anfernee Simons, Josh Hart and Keon Johnson.

Additionally, after the Blazers finished with a 27-55 record last season, expectations likely will be modest for the team this coming winter, even with a healthy Lillard.

With their second-round selection, No. 57 overall, the Blazers took Jabari Walker, a 6-8 forward from Colorado. Walker averaged 14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds as a sophomore for the Buffaloes last season.

The Blazers originally had the No. 36 pick, but swapped picks with Detroit in Wednesday's trade that brought Jerami Grant to the Blazers. Portland acquired the No. 46 pick from the Pistons in that deal, but ESPN draft expert Adrian Wojnarowski said the Blazers traded that pick to the Denver Nuggets.