The Trail Blazers are already one of the more promising teams in the league. Portland’s future needs a player to build around, and Shaedon Sharpe has all the tools to become the Blazers’ star.
As a franchise in transition, the Portland Trail Blazers have been seeking a franchise cornerstone for a while. They wanted to be successful in the post-Damian Lillard era. Now that Lillard is back, he is no longer at his best level due to his Achilles injury.
With that, the franchise wants a new player to build around. In the past two years, most people thought Scoot Henderson was that player. He has not met the expectations, but Sharpe has continued to develop into a promising player.
While Henderson’s window for stardom is gradually closing, Sharpe’s ceiling is still high. He has continuously improved in the past three seasons, which is promising for his potential.
The Blazers’ Star Power With Sharpe’s Ceiling
Sharpe is an interesting case for Portland because he has shown progress in almost every area of the game. He has become a tremendous shot-maker, especially with his mid-range game. This is evident in his scoring, as evidenced by his 18.5 points per game in the 2024-25 season.
The three-point shooting has regressed from 36% in his rookie season to 31.1% in his third. That should improve later on, as he has the fundamentals of a good shooter with his jump shot. He must be more efficient, especially if he will become the main man for Portland.
Sharpe has tremendous potential due to his strengths. He is a hyper-athletic player with a natural ability to score. The former Kentucky Wildcat also has potential as a good defender and a playmaker. With mentors like Lillard and Jrue Holiday, the Blazers’ youngsters are learning from awesome players. That matters in the long run.
Henderson Is Struggling, So Sharpe Can Step Up
As the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Henderson had hype surrounding him. The Blazers selected him to become Lillard’s successor, which prompted the iconic star to move to Milwaukee. Now that he’s back, he will be a mentor to Henderson.
Despite this mentorship, people are not high on Henderson’s potential. He is popular in the Blazers organization due to his hard work. However, he has not shown the superstar qualities that people expected from him.
If Henderson dips, the Blazers could cash in and trade him. Considering they have Lillard and Holiday, their point guard situation is still promising. The Blazers also have Sharpe, who is on the trajectory of being a star player.
Henderson still has a lot of time to prove himself. He has worked on his jump shot, resulting in positive growth in his percentages. Unfortunately for Henderson, the ceiling is a bit shorter, but it leaves room to film for Portland’s future.
The Blazers Have A Promising Future
Sharpe is the player with the most potential, but the team already has core players. Henderson is one of those, but Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija are all superb.
With Chauncey Billups at the helm, he has learned how to motivate the younger players. He has been hard at work cementing the Blazers as a top defensive team. Sharpe is not that kind of player, but he has the tools to become a top star.
As long as everyone can recognize Sharpe’s potential, it will be hard to go against him. He can score from all over the court, including above the rim with his ferocious slams. If Sharpe continues to earn minutes, he will be a hot commodity as well in Portland’s future.
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