When the Toronto Raptors announced their 2026 Summer League roster, the most fascinating takeaway was seemingly the inclusion of Collin Murray-Boyles, especially after a superhuman rookie campaign. But on second glance, it was the addition of Jamarion Sharp, a seven-foot-five centre who dominated the NBA G League last season.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old big man is in the middle of a reclamation project after struggling to find a consistent roster spot during his first two years after college. Sharpe has generational length, but is held back by an uninspiring offensive artillery. Meanwhile, the Raptors desperately need size at centre, so there\u2019s a potential fit.<\/p>\n
From Ulrich Chomche to Hassan Whiteside, the Raptors boast an impressive roster of mystery-box centre prospects who have donned their Summer League jersey.<\/p>\n
Will Sharp join that tantalizing group? Read about his journey and scouting report below.<\/p>\n
Sharp\u2019s three-year stint in the NCAA was a mixed bag of unwanted items sprinkled with the occasional shiny trinket. He spent two seasons (2021-23) with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, averaging 7.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.4 blocks while shooting 59.4 per cent from the field. Sharp started in 60 of 64 games while playing 28.4 minutes per game.<\/p>\n
His defence was otherworldly at Western Kentucky. In 2021, he finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 blocks against Alabama A&M. In the following season, Sharp led the nation in blocks and finished as Western Kentucky\u2019s record holder in single-season blocks (148).<\/p>\n
After contemplating the NBA ahead of the 2023-24 season, Sharp ultimately withdrew his name from the draft and transferred to Ole Miss. As a Rebel, Sharp couldn\u2019t build off his momentum from the past two seasons. Sharp\u2019s averages were basically cut in half, finishing with 3.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.<\/p>\n
Subsequently, Sharpe went undrafted due to his offensive limitations. While Sharpe generates points on dunks, lobs, and put-backs, the centre couldn\u2019t offset his lack of touch, playmaking or shooting. Despite being listed at 235 pounds, Sharp was often bullied off his spots due a rail-thin frame.<\/p>\n
Sharpe joined the Dallas Mavericks\u2019 Summer League team in 2024 and eventually signed a contract before being waived in October. He later joined the G League\u2019s Texas Legends, where he averaged 6.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 blocks.<\/p>\n
The big man experienced deja vu the following year, when he played for the Mavericks in Summer League, before being let go again. Fortunately for Sharpe, he thrived in his second year with the Legends. He improved to 7.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and an astonishing 3.9 blocks per game.<\/p>\n
Sharp concluded his 2026 season as the NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year, a member of the All-Defensive Team and the season leader in blocks.<\/p>\n
Everywhere Sharp has gone, he\u2019s been a world-ending type of rim protector. His 3.7 blocks per game slot him in the NCAA all-time top 25. Sharp is also second all-time in the G League for blocks per game (3.5). There\u2019s no doubt that he\u2019ll consistently erase shots for the Raptors during Summer League.<\/p>\n
The potential issue lies with what else Sharp can provide.<\/p>\n
On defence, Sharp struggles in multiple areas. While he masterfully stalks ball-handlers from the weak-side or welcomes dribble-penetration on-ball, he\u2019s currently unable to survive in space. Sharpe\u2019s wins on the glass happen because he\u2019s able to \u2018out-reach\u2019 opponents, but his skinny frame often results in him being pushed out of prime rebounding positions.<\/p>\n
At the G League Combine, Sharpe\u2019s tested in the reaction shuttle (3.2), lane agility (11.6) and three-quarter sprint (3.3). By comparison, here are 2024 class peers Zach Edey and Chomche\u2019s results:<\/p>\n
Reaction shuttle: 2.84Lane agility: 11.743\/4 sprint: 3.1Reaction shuttle: 3.01Lane agility: 11.193\/4 sprint: 3.42<\/p>\n
Offensively, Sharp continues to be a massive work-in-progress. There aren\u2019t many defenders who can operate in his airspace, but that\u2019s almost exclusively how he manufactures points. Sharpe attempted one three-pointer in the NCAA and has zero attempts in the G League. He struggles from the free-throw line (39.3 per cent in 2025-26) and has a non-existent midrange game. There are also concerns about his touch around the rim.<\/p>\n
Sharp averaged 0.7 assists in his two seasons with the Legends, signalling a lack of vision or the coaching staff choosing not to ask him to create for others. That could clash in Head Coach Darko Rajakovic\u2019s system.<\/p>\n
Still, there\u2019s a need for someone like Sharp on the Raptors, especially if Jakob Poeltl struggles with his back injury. Toronto desperately searched for answers last year. Unfortunately, the likes of Mo Bamba and Trayce Jackson-Davis ultimately proved to be failed experiments.<\/p>\n
If Sharp can provide elite rim protection with above-average rebounding, he may have a chance to make the training camp roster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When the Toronto Raptors announced their 2026 Summer League roster, the most fascinating takeaway was seemingly the inclusion…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":778963,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3770],"tags":[7,6,681,5038,36437,680,476,65037,3820],"class_list":["post-778962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-toronto-raptors","tag-basketball","tag-nba","tag-raptors","tag-raptors-analysis","tag-raptors-roster","tag-toronto","tag-toronto-raptors","tag-toronto-raptors-discussion","tag-torontoraptors"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116868537627379158","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=778962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/778963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=778962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=778962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=778962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}