PORTLAND, Ore. — Shaedon Sharpe, the Portland Trail Blazers second-year guard who has missed the past 40 games while recovering from core muscle surgery, will not return to the court this season, the team announced Tuesday.
Portland has four games left in the regular season, which concludes Sunday. About two weeks ago, the Blazers assigned Sharpe to their G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix, for practice and conditioning, raising hopes among the fan base that he might suit up for the Blazers sometime before the end of the season.
But in Tuesday's news release, the Blazers reported that while Sharpe has made "considerable progress" and taken part in full-contact workouts over the past week, he will not play in any of the four remaining games. The team said he should be ready before the start of next season.
Sharpe's second season was derailed by injuries. He first started dealing with the core muscle injury in December, missing five games before returning to the court Jan. 1. He struggled through six games before sitting down for good. He hasn't played since Jan. 11; he had the surgery on Feb. 9.
Sharpe, 20, was drafted seventh overall in the 2022 NBA draft. After a solid rookie season, expectations were high for Sharpe entering his second season, and at times before the injury, he lived up to and even exceeded them. As the Blazers dealt with numerous injuries to start the season, Sharpe was thrust into a larger-than-expected role, surpassing 40 minutes played in six of Portland's first 10 games.
In the Blazers' first 22 games, Sharpe scored 20 or more points nine times. In a win against the Detroit Pistons in early November, he had 29 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal. During a five-game stretch in late November and early December, Sharpe was fantastic, averaging 26.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
For the season, Sharpe averaged 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists. His efficiency numbers took a dip from his rookie season, as Sharpe shot 40.6% from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point line. Those numbers may have been negatively impacted by his injury, though. In the final 10 games he played before he sat down for the season and had the surgery, his percentages plummeted to 33.7% from the field and 23.3% from 3.
Among NBA sophomores this season, Sharpe ranked third in points per game and 11th in rebounds. He's still a big part of the future for the rebuilding Blazers, alongside 20-year-old point guard Scoot Henderson and 25-year-old center Deandre Ayton. Portland fans will just have to, barring an unlikely summer-league appearance, wait until next season to see him in a Blazers uniform again.