Shaedon Sharpe's improved play lately shows he has the highest ceiling on the Portland Trail Blazers roster. Deni Avdija is making a strong All-Star case, but in terms of a legitimate superstar ceiling, Sharpe gets the nod.
He's the only one who has all the physical tools required to separate himself from the rest of the league. No one can match Sharpe's top-tier athleticism, which, when combined with his developing skillset, gives him superstar potential.
Shaedon Sharpe has the highest ceiling on the Blazers
This season, the Blazers' high-flyer is averaging 21.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on 46/32/78 shooting splits. He's having a career season in Year 4, taking on more offensive responsibilities with the highest usage rate on Portland's roster (31.2%). But even with the breakout season, it feels as though Sharpe is just scratching the surface of who he can become as a player.
The obvious room for improvement lies in his three-point shot. He started the season off incredibly cold but has bounced back in a significant way, which includes a red-hot stretch of December, shooting 51.4% from beyond the arc.
December has been a relatively small seven-game sample size, and we keep waiting for Sharpe to come back to Earth. After all, he's a career 32.9% shooter from downtown, which is below league average at the position.
But what if this is the player Sharpe is going forward?
It would be unrealistic to expect it to be sustainable to this extent, but the eye test suggests that Sharpe is actually a good shooter. That was the case as a rookie when he shot 36% from beyond the arc, but he has surprisingly regressed ever since. If he can get back to that efficiency as a three-level scorer, it's going to be impossible for defenses to game-plan against. That three-point shot will open up the entire offense for Sharpe, allowing him to play more to his true strengths as an elite downhill attacker.
He also still has room to grow as a playmaker, with questionable shot selection at times. But this is a 22-year-old we're talking about. Not only do guards take longer to adjust in the NBA, but Sharpe also didn't even have a year of college to prepare after sitting out at Kentucky.
The Blazers wisely prioritized their former No. 7 overall pick in the form of an extension and starting role, and they're already beginning to reap the benefits. We're just now seeing things starting to click for Sharpe, and that should be a scary thought for the rest of the league.