Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe rarely has much to say about himself or the team.
That didn’t change when the season ended. However, one point he vocalized clearly was that he welcomed accountability, even when it meant losing his starting job in mid-January.
“I always like a coach that’s tough on me and pushing me to be the best that I can be,” Sharpe said of coach Chauncey Billups.
Sharpe’s response to his demotion on Jan. 19 helped define his season. From then on, the Blazers (36-46) went 22-17 in games he appeared in to climb back into the play-in race.
The lineup change was made to help the team’s defense, where Sharpe struggled. Sharpe got the message and when he eventually returned to the starting lineup, he helped the Blazers’ improved defense remain one of the best in the NBA during the second half of the season.
Furthermore, during the 22-17 run, Sharpe contributed 19.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 45.2% from the field.
“I think he handled it well,” Anfernee Simons said of Sharpe moving to the bench.
The move refocused Sharpe to reach his potential, which was put on hold during an injury-filled second season.
Shaedon Sharpe (#17) and head coach Chauncey Billups of the Portland Trail Blazers react during the fourth quarter of the Emirates NBA Cup game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Moda Center on November 12, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. The Portland Trail Blazers won 122-108. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)Getty Images
“We just needed Shaedon to be healthy for a long period of time, and for everybody to see how talented he is, how good he is,” Simons said. “And I expect next year to be even better coming in next year. He got a full year of playing underneath his belt.”
Maybe nobody was more pleased with Sharpe’s growth than Billups, determined to push the 6-foot-5 guard to understand that his offense can be propelled by playing well on defense.
“I’ve spoken a ton about how happy I am with Shaedon,” Billups said. “He had some ups and downs, too, but mostly up. I thought he took a step this year. I thought defensively, he was really good. When he’s locked in, he’s alert. Offensively, when he’s aggressive, he’s just really tough to guard. I think he figured some things out there.”
Sharpe appeared in 72 games with 52 starts after appearing in just 32 games during his second season before core muscle surgery ended his season.
“Yeah, my whole goal just coming into the season was just trying to stay healthy,” he said.
Doing so allowed Sharpe to evolve his game. However, he struggled in an area he plans to attack during the offseason.
“I’d say my three-point shot,” he said. “Just being consistent with it.”
Sharpe shot 31.1% from three-point range, down from 33.3% during his second season. He shot 36.0% as a rookie.
Billups encouraged Sharpe to keep shooting from beyond the arc because he believes in his potential. That combination of tough love and encouragement from Billups left Sharpe excited that his coach signed a contract extension at the end of the season.
“He’s a Hall-of-Fame coach, so, what he might see might be different from what I see,” Sharpe said. “So, he can kind of talk me through what he thinks might be the right play or situation. So, just him, being on the sideline kind of coaching me through has really helped me a lot.”
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)