The Portland Trail Blazers’ 3-0 start has done more than give the fan base a hot opening week. It has also put Shaedon Sharpe in an awkward spot.
Portland’s offense looks different under first-year head coach Micah Nori, and different in a way that seems to work. The ball is moving, the players are moving, and defenses are spending possessions scrambling instead of settling in. That has helped create an encouraging start, but it also means the roster is being shaped around strengths that do not line up neatly with Sharpe’s game.
Sharpe has tended to be most effective when he is a central piece of the offense, and last season his 30.5 usage percentage was the highest on the team, even above All-Star Deni Avdija. That is not the setup now. Under Nori, Portland’s attack has become less static and more balanced, and through three games that shift has clearly paid off.
The current group has also changed the calculation. Damian Lillard and Ja Morant are not just upgrades as playmakers beside Avdija, they are cleaner fits in the system as well.
Lillard is back to being a top five shooter on planet Earth. He may have never even left, considering he somehow still won the 3-Point Contest last season without even playing a game.
Toumani Camara has already shown how well certain pieces slot into this new shape. He does the little things that contenders need: he doesn’t need the ball, he defends, and he spaces the floor.
Those same traits also highlight why Sharpe’s place is murkier. He is a shooting guard who can’t shoot, and that is a problem in a lineup built on movement and spacing.
There is also a broader pattern here. Sharpe has already been benched by two different head coaches, Chauncey Billups and Tiago Splitter, in consecutive seasons.
Billups said the reason was defense. Sharpe did not share with the media why Splitter made that call.
Portland’s current shot profile only sharpens the concern. In Tuesday’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Blazers attempted just two midrange shots.
Everything else came at the rim, from three, or at the line. That style of offense depends on constant motion and quick decisions, and Sharpe does not naturally fit that mold.
The team’s overall feel has leaned heavily into versatility. The Blazers, to a lesser extent, even reminded the writer of the San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich because of how much the ball has been flying around. Jrue Holiday is part of that identity too, bringing shooting, defense, ball-handling, and passing all in one package.
That leaves Portland with a tricky decision ahead. Sharpe is projected to be back roughly around late February to early March, which means the Blazers would likely have to decide on a trade before they even see him back on the floor. Joe Cronin has plenty of time to keep evaluating the backcourt picture, but if this version of Portland keeps winning, it only gets harder to see where Sharpe fits.
If the Blazers start to think of themselves as one piece away from real contention in the West by the trade deadline, Sharpe’s upside could become part of that deal. A fresh start might make sense for both sides.
In Other News...
Blazers Sent A Message By Outmuscling Luka And The Lakers
The Trail Blazers did more than survive a shootout with the Lakers, they won the physical side of it. Portland's 136-129 victory came even with Luka Doncic pouring in 41 points and Austin Reaves adding 26, because the Blazers kept answering at the other end and repeatedly turned the game into a test of shot-making, effort and presence on the glass.
What stood out for Portland was not just the scoring, but the way it controlled the margins that usually decide games like this. The Blazers shot better, got to the line more often and won the rebounding battle, a combination that let them absorb the Lakers' firepower and still finish on top in a game that was never short on offense. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Exposed A Big Lakers Problem Even On Lukas Night
Luka Doncic gave the Lakers exactly the sort of explosive scoring night they hoped for, piling up 40 points against the Trail Blazers and adding another entry to a growing list of big performances in Los Angeles. It was his 20th career 40-point game for the Lakers, pushing him past LeBron James for sixth on the franchises all-time list in that category, a notable marker even in a loss.
But Portland still walked away with a 136-129 win, which is the part that should linger for the Lakers. When one of the leagues most dangerous scorers can post a night like that and it still isnt enough, it points to how much the rest of the roster has to hold up around him. For the Blazers, it was a reminder that they can absorb a star outburst and still find a way to finish the job. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers May Have Avoided A Giannis Problem Miami Couldn't
Giannis Antetokounmpo briefly loomed as an offseason possibility for the Trail Blazers, but Portland never got to the finish line on a deal. His hesitation about a long-term commitment and preference to stay in the Eastern Conference helped shape that outcome, along with a desire to keep his championship pursuit aligned with staying closer to Greece. For a Blazers team trying to map out its next era, it was the kind of star swing that could have changed the franchises direction overnight.
Miami is now living with the realities of that kind of move after landing Giannis, and the opening stretch has not exactly looked like the instant contender blueprint the Heat hoped for. A poor start has already raised questions about how quickly the roster can support a title push, which only adds another layer to Portlands what-if. The Blazers may not have landed the biggest name in the conversation, but they also avoided the immediate pressure that comes with trying to make a championship timeline work from day one. [Read more 🡒]