Despite being without their franchise superstar, Damian Lillard, who has been out for the entire season as he recovers from a torn left Achilles, the Portland Trail Blazers have managed to stay afloat in what is quite a tough Western Conference.
Going into Tuesday night’s action against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Trail Blazers have a 28-30 record, which is enough to see them be the ninth seed in the Western Conference, which ultimately means a spot in the play-in tournament.
This isn’t to say that Portland is limited to where they are currently sitting in the standings, given that they’re only two and a half games back from the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors, which would make their playoff ambitions a lot brighter.
There are a few key contributors to the Trail Blazers’ success, with one of them being Deni Avdija, who is in the midst of a career year, averaging 24.4 points and 6.6 assists, which was enough to be named to the All-Star game for the first time in his NBA journey.
But it isn’t just the 25-year-old who has been on fire for Portland this season, as Shaedon Sharpe has continued to progress in his offensive numbers, putting up a career-high 21.4 points per game on 45.6 percent shooting.
While it has been a series of highs on the court for Sharpe, he has found himself on the bench as of late due to a left calf strain, the second such strain this season, after one in his right leg in November. However, according to a recent report, it appears that the 22-year-old is expected to miss more time.
As reported by Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto, Sharpe is to remain out for another 4-6 weeks due to a “stress reaction of the left fibula”.
This means the Canadian will be looked at again in the final weeks of the regular season, which sits a few weeks ahead of the Play-In tournament that kicks off on April 14, so he could make a return this season.
For now, Portland will have to do without its star guard, with the likes of Tonmani Camara, Vit Krejci, Kris Murray, Caleb Love, and Blake Wesley to fill in for the absent Sharpe.
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