Dick Vitale believes Shaedon Sharpe found perfect home with Trailblazers

Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe was the biggest question mark entering the 2022 NBA Draft. After enrolling early at UK, he elected to forego his NCAA eligibility and keep his name in the draft without playing a college game. That means he’d need to be drafted on the merit of his high school career and his potential.

That’s exactly why ESPN’s Dick Vitale listed the Portland Trailblazers as a winner from the draft in a recent article. The Blazers selected Sharpe with the No. 7 pick in the NBA Draft.

“The Portland Trail Blazers took the mystery man, Shaedon Sharpe, who has looked super in video highlights. He practiced with Kentucky but did not play with the Wildcats.”

Sharpe reclassified to the 2021 class as the No. 1 player in the 2022 class. He finished as the No. 4 player in On3’s 2021 Consensus Top Basketball Recruits. He committed to Kentucky last September before enrolling for the spring semester. While rumors suggested he would play last season, the story shifted and Sharpe said he intended to skip the rest of the season and return to Lexington in ’22-’23.

After he went through the draft process and workouts, that plan quickly went up in smoke altogether. His potential alone justified his spot as a Top 10 pick and he took the opportunity in front of him. Now, Vitale believes Portland can help him grow and be ready to be a professional despite his lack of experience.

“The key to playing in the NBA will be Sharpe’s ability to respond in game situations,” Vitale said. “He is going to a perfect place to grow as the Blazers are in a rebuilding mode.”

Sharpe has all the tools to succeed at the next level. The issue is jumping from high school to the NBA is an incredibly tall task. It may take some time for him to adjust to the next level, but Vitale thinks he could be a superstar in Portland.

The basketball world will get their first real look at Sharpe when he debuts in the NBA Summer League on July 7th.