Shaedon Sharpe sidelined at NBA Summer League with shoulder injury

Shaedon Sharpe’s first live-action basketball game since the fall didn’t even last six minutes.

The former Kentucky Wildcat turned No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers made his NBA Summer League debut right as the clock tipped over into Friday early this morning. Sharpe took the floor as a starter but played just 5:33 of the first quarter before appearing to tweak his arm while defending in the halfcourt.

He was quickly taken out of the game and was later ruled out by the Blazers with what was labeled as a left shoulder injury. An MRI is expected soon, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Portland wound up losing to the Detroit Pistons 81-78 (side note: Jalen Duren is going to be really good in Detroit).

The Blazers say rookie Shaedon Sharpe has injured his left shoulder and will not return to the game.

— Cassidy Hubbarth (@CassidyHubbarth) July 8, 2022

As you might have expected, the internet had plenty of fun at Sharpe’s expense. He finished the night with just two points on 1-3 shooting (0-2 from beyond the arc) to go along with one turnover. Sharpe wasted no time firing up a pair of slightly contested triples early, both of which came off the rim, before drilling a silky baseline turnaround jumper.

Admittedly, his lone made shot was quite an impressive one.

Shaedon Sharpe pivots and knocks down a TOUGH fadeaway for his first points!

Watch the #NBA2K23SummerLeague LIVE on ESPN pic.twitter.com/4IAAxAEISo

— NBA (@NBA) July 8, 2022

But otherwise, there was nothing else to take from Sharpe’s “debut”. He didn’t appear to look entirely comfortable on the floor, which likely stems from his lack of availability in five-on-five settings over the last year. Sharpe’s injury doesn’t sound to be all that serious though, so ideally he’ll get in a longer run once the Blazers take the floor again. Portland will face the New Orleans Pelicans next on Saturday night at 10:00 p.m. EST on ESPN2.

During the broadcast of Sharpe’s first NBA game, sideline reporter Cassidy Hubbarth was able to catch up with Portland’s centerpiece player, Damian Lillard, who was in attendance, to get his thoughts on the franchise as a whole and about Sharpe specifically. Some took Lillard’s candid response as a shot at Sharpe, however, I viewed it as Lillard speaking truthfully and realistically.

“I’ve been in the facility every day just training, working on my body, just doing normal maintenance stuff, lifting, on the court,” Lillard said during the broadcast. “(Sharpe’s) been there since a little bit after the draft. We played some 1s, from certain spots he’d jump in and play with us, so he’s super talented, super gifted, but you just gotta get out there and play. You gotta see it in live-action and put him in the mix and when you’re picked that high, you just gotta have that pride about going out there and showing people why. Living up to being that high of a pick. I think everybody that’s been picked in that top 10, they go out there saying I’m a top 10 pick and I need to show these people. I’ve been there, now he’s in that position and we’re looking forward to him coming out and showing why.”

Dame Lillard's comments on Shaedon Sharpe pic.twitter.com/2ECwfFSKn3

— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) July 8, 2022

Lillard likely knew exactly what Portland was getting when it drafted Sharpe No. 7 overall. I would honestly be shocked if he wasn’t one of the people in the decision room when that call finally came in. They don’t make that pick without Lillard signing off on it first. The Blazers have made it clear they will do anything to keep Lillard happy, so I would find it hard to believe he’s already turned off by a prospect like Sharpe just a couple of weeks after he was selected.

But that doesn’t mean Lillard isn’t accurate with what he’s saying — literally no one has watched Sharpe play an actual, full game of basketball in at least eight months. So of course Lillard wants to see Sharpe play more live-action — and do so with “pride” — which is why he added at the end of his conversation with Hubbarth that he’s looking forward to watching Sharpe show out. Lillard wants to watch Sharpe play more than any of us.

Maybe we’ll see Sharpe play basketball sometime soon…