Trail Blazers rookie Shaedon Sharpe doesn't need surgery on injured shoulder
Shaedon Sharpe doesn't need surgery.
The Portland Trail Blazers rookie sustained a labrum tear of his left shoulder during his Summer League debut on July 8. The Blazers announced Wednesday that the injury won't require surgery while classifying the tear as "small." He'll instead rehabilitate the injury, and the team expects him to be ready for training camp in the fall.
Portland selected Sharpe with the No. 7 pick out of Kentucky in June's draft. Once rated as the No. 1 prospect in his high school class, Sharpe didn't play a minute at Kentucky, making him perhaps the biggest wild card in the draft.
[Set, hut, hike! Create or join a fantasy football league now!]
Why he didn't play isn't entirely clear. Sharpe reclassified and enrolled at UK for the second semester in 2022. Head coach John Calipari announced in February that Sharpe was sitting out the season in anticipation of leading the team in 2022-23.
After talking with Shaedon and his parents, we want to end all of the speculation by again saying that he will not play for us this season.
He is committed to bettering himself and our team in practice this year and being better prepared to lead us next season.— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) February 7, 2022
Sharpe instead declared for the draft, where he became a lottery pick. He told reporters at a pre-draft news conference that it was his decision to sit.
"My thought process as an athlete, as a basketball player, was really just getting better," Sharpe said. "So I was just in the gym every day, working out. Really for me, whatever happened, I'd be ready for it."
The Blazers drafted Sharpe hoping he can team up with Damian Lillard in the backcourt to help elevate the team into championship contention. A 6-foot-6 guard with explosive athleticism, he has the upside of a top-end NBA scorer. His shoulder injury was a disappointing setback, but Wednesday's news should serve as relief in Portland.
