Shaedon Sharpe: "Any opportunity I can get to play, I'll take it"

Shaedon Sharpe was the prized piece of Kentucky’s 2022 recruiting class when he committed, the team’s anticipated go-to scorer this past season. He enrolled early last January and planned to train for the spring semester before returning in 2022-23, a likely star in the making. Freak athlete, elite three-level scorer, the whole nine yards.

And then, well, last spring happened. He wasn’t turning pro right up until he was, ultimately declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft to test the waters, then keep his name in permanently. No. 7 overall pick to the Portland Trail Blazers, a top-10 pick without playing a single second of college basketball. Kentucky left scrambling to find a backup plan.

It was a tough break for the Wildcats, one they never really recovered from. Inconsistent shooting hamstrung the team throughout the season, then knocked it out of the NCAA Tournament. Sure could have used him then. Or at some point last spring when injuries killed a Kentucky team that looked like a true title contender to open SEC play.

Sharpe went on to average 9.9 points on 47.2% shooting and 36% from three in 22.2 minutes per contest as a rookie. He closed out the year scoring 20-plus points in eight of his final ten games of the season, highlighted by a career-high 30-point outing on March 29.

It was an end-of-year stretch that led The Athletic’s John Hollinger to single Sharpe out as his Rookie of the Week — or last few weeks of the season, for that matter.

“We need to circle back and talk about how good Sharpe was over the final weeks of the season,” he wrote. “While the Blazers were shutting things down and turning on the reverse thrusters, Portland’s teenage rookie was doing everything in his power to undermine the Blazers’ efforts. … It’s hard to ignore how good Sharpe looked, including in some highly competitive games.

“… Portland has to be massively encouraged by Sharpe’s season and should already be pondering what that means for its future. With the franchise seemingly committed to the Sisyphean task of winning with Damian Lillard and not much else, Sharpe becomes a huge part of the plan.”

During his exit interview with the team to end the 2022-23 season, Sharpe made it clear he’s ready to be a starter for the Trail Blazers moving forward. The rookie guard expressed interest in taking over a leadership role, “helping the team in every aspect.”

That led to an interesting question regarding his status for the NBA Summer League in the coming months. Franchise cornerstones don’t typically participate, but they’re more than welcome to give it a go if interested, even if on a limited basis.

Sharpe’s mindset? The former Kentucky signee is eager to play whenever can. If his franchise wants him to suit up, he’ll happily participate.

“I mean, I would, yeah. It’s basketball, I love playing basketball,” Sharpe said. “Any opportunity I can get to play, I’ll take it.”

Asked if he plans to play Summer League:

"I love playing basketball. Any opportunity I can get to play, I'll take it." – Shaedon Sharpe pic.twitter.com/9rmxGc4WJt

— Lee K. Howard (@HowardWKYT) April 10, 2023

Any opportunity, hm? There was one in Lexington that would’ve been pretty cool.

What could have been?