Shaedon Sharpe throws it down over Jay Huff in Summer League play

A new dawn in the Portland Trail Blazers basketball franchise is upon us after superstar guard Damian Lillard requested a trade over the offseason. But the future in Portland is bright. And during the Trail Blazers’ opening matchup in the 2023 Summer League, second-year wing and former Kentucky Wildcats’ signee Shaedon Sharpe gave fans of the franchise and everyone in attendance something to look forward to this season.

In the fourth quarter of Portland’s Summer League game against the Houston Rockets, Sharpe finished off the Trail Blazers’ fast break with a monstrous throw down over former Virginia Cavaliers seven-footer Jay Huff.

You can check out the former Wildcats’ recruit and his impressive throw-down in the video below.

SHAEDON SHARPE POSTER. 🔥🔥🔥

pic.twitter.com/JqkYxJyCBs

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 8, 2023

Despite re-classifying and signing under John Calipari at Kentucky, Sharpe didn’t play a single game for the Wildcats during his lone season there, spending his time on the practice court instead. Still, without playing a college game, the former No. 4 ranked player in the 2021 recruiting class, according to On3’s Industry Rankings, was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Sharpe had an excellent performance in the Trail Blazers’ opening Summer League game. He finished the night with 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and shooting 3-9 from beyond the arc.

Unfortunately, the game did not end how the Blazers wanted as last year’s third overall pick, Jabari Smith, hit a game-winning three-point shot with just .6 seconds on the clock. To add injury to insult, Portland also got some bad news about their third overall pick in this year’s draft Scoot Henderson.

Henderson leaves NBA Summer League debut with shoulder injury

Henderson sparkled early during his NBA debut on Friday night during his team’s Summer League game against the Houston Rockets. He poured in 15 points, dished out six assists, and even grabbed five rebounds.

The only problem was he got injured and had to leave the game late in the third quarter with a right shoulder issue, according to the ESPN TV broadcast. Henderson is expected to be one of the most electrifying players in the NBA, so the Trail Blazers will anxiously await his return to the floor.

Scoot Henderson was ranked as a five-star recruit and the No. 12 overall player in the country for the class of 2021, according to the On3 Industry rankings. The Georgia native had offers from several of the top college basketball programs in the country. However, he opted to begin his professional basketball career immediately after high school, instead. For more on Henderson and why he was one of the most gifted athletes in the 2023 NBA Draft Class, check out this article from On3’s Matt Connolly.

The 19-year-old averaged 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game for G League Ignite in 2022-23, while shooting 43 percent from the field. He also spent the 2021-22 season in the G League.

On3’s Wade Peery contributed to this article