Sharpe's ceiling

[illmatic99]

Jinx thread warning.

I think it's way higher than the borderline all star I was expecting at the draft last yr. I think he can be the lead scoring threat on a contending team. He just doesn't realize it yet, but he has takeover ability. The two way potential is similarly tantalizing. Obviously his development will not be linear but we are seeing so much growth in him in just one year.

I was benchmarking him against Jaylen Brown. Think he might project closer to Jayson Tatum instead as far as impact. Chauncey compared him to Booker as his target kinda player. Think that's apt. And he took years to start winning.

 

[illmatic99]

This has been Booker's trajectory.

 

[Natebishop3]

I’m going to be conservative and say occasional all star. It’s really hard to make all star teams. Especially at guard. If he makes it I will be thrilled. Hell, he might be competing against Scoot for a spot in a year or two.

 

[wizenheimer]

just for reference....Booker came into the league at 19, just like Sharpe. The difference is Booker played 38 games at Kentucky so he very likely had a better foundation of experience than Sharpe, and built on that; Sharpe hasn't caught up yet

* Booker averaged 22-3-3 with a PER of 14.6 and a TS% of .531, at 20 years old, in his second season
* Sharpe is averaging 20-5-3 with a PER of 14.2 and a TS% of .569

(Suns went 24-58 in Booker's 2nd season)

I think Booker is a better comp for Sharpe than Brandon Roy. Personally, I've never see the Sharpe<-->Roy comps because they are quite different as players; BR was an ambidextrous ball-handler and that made him almost impossible to stop on dribble-drives.

if you're talking max ceiling then obviously a perennial top-10 player. Realistic ceiling? then sure, Devin Booker. Most players don't reach their 2nd year projected 'ceilings'

 

[kjironman1]

 

[HailBlazers]

Sharpe hasn't caught up yet

* Booker averaged 22-3-3 with a PER of 14.6 and a TS% of .531, at 20 years old, in his second season
* Sharpe is averaging 20-5-3 with a PER of 14.2 and a TS% of .569

Does not compute

 

[Natebishop3]

just for reference....Booker came into the league at 19, just like Sharpe. The difference is Booker played 38 games at Kentucky so he very likely had a better foundation of experience than Sharpe, and built on that; Sharpe hasn't caught up yet

* Booker averaged 22-3-3 with a PER of 14.6 and a TS% of .531, at 20 years old, in his second season
* Sharpe is averaging 20-5-3 with a PER of 14.2 and a TS% of .569

(Suns went 24-58 in Booker's 2nd season)

I think Booker is a better comp for Sharpe than Brandon Roy. Personally, I've never see the Sharpe=Roy comps because they are quite different as players; BR was an ambidextrous ball-handler and that made him almost impossible to stop on dribble-drives.

if you're talking max ceiling then obviously a perennial top-10 player. Realistic ceiling? then sure, Devin Booker. Most players don't reach their 2nd year projected 'ceilings'

Blazer fans want to compare every single guard to Roy. I think it’s just because he was still pretty recent. Drexler was 30 years ago.

 

[blazerkor]

I think Shaedon can be an MVP and I think his ceiling is higher than Dame's. So that means his ceiling is a top 5 player in any given season during his prime and I think multiple season scoring titles.

 

[Predator]

I said I would draft him as high as #2 because he had the most potential in his draft, and I stand by that, so I would say a top 10 player in any given season is the type of ceiling he has. I would actually say top 3-5.

Unfortunately I don’t see him actually reaching that ceiling, but talent wise… he could.

 

[andalusian]

I like to compare Sharpe to Roy because he is so good at controlling his body through contact and being able to finish despite that contact. Booker, to me seems like he prefers to avoid contact compared to someone like Roy which seemed to relish starting it by initiating contact.

I am not saying that Booker can't finish when he gets contact, because he can, but if you look at Booker, he usually tries to use his lateral movement to avoid the contact to get a clean look, but he is strong enough to be able to finish with contact. Roy, used to initiate the contact to dictate how he gets to where-ever he wanted to take his shots from and Sharpe seems to do the same, especially this year.

I also said that to get to the Roy place Sharpe will need to improve his handling a lot. That's why I see B-Roy in Sharpe. Both could jump out of the building (Roy did it less as an NBA player for obvious reasons), both seem slow in their movement but are actually in control of the speed they want to play in and both seem to thrive in getting to where they want to be when they handle the ball by initiating contact.

Booker is a similar player, but as I said, his modus operandi seems to be to try and get a clean shot by avoiding the contact if he can, he does not usually initiate the contact.

 

[Kell]

To the moon!

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Sharpe is from Canada so obviously his ceiling is the North Pole.

 

[blazerkor]

 

[blazerfan11]

I like to compare Sharpe to Roy because he is so good at controlling his body through contact and being able to finish despite that contact. Booker, to me seems like he prefers to avoid contact compared to someone like Roy which seemed to relish starting it by initiating contact.

I am not saying that Booker can't finish when he gets contact, because he can, but if you look at Booker, he usually tries to use his lateral movement to avoid the contact to get a clean look, but he is strong enough to be able to finish with contact. Roy, used to initiate the contact to dictate how he gets to where-ever he wanted to take his shots from and Sharpe seems to do the same, especially this year.

I also said that to get to the Roy place Sharpe will need to improve his handling a lot. That's why I see B-Roy in Sharpe. Both could jump out of the building (Roy did it less as an NBA player for obvious reasons), both seem slow in their movement but are actually in control of the speed they want to play in and both seem to thrive in getting to where they want to be when they handle the ball by initiating contact.

Booker is a similar player, but as I said, his modus operandi seems to be to try and get a clean shot by avoiding the contact if he can, he does not usually initiate the contact.

You are right. That was one of the noticeable things about Sharpe from the beginning - he seems to create contact as a way to throw off the defender and better position himself to score near at the hoop. When you can do that against Rudy Gobert, which he did last season, you know you're doing it right.

 

[inconceivable]

Mt Rushmore

 

[Idog1976]

Blazer fans want to compare every single guard to Roy. I think it’s just because he was still pretty recent. Drexler was 30 years ago.

I think Drexler is the best comp for Sharpe of former Blazers and they are actually really similar in a lot of ways and Sharpe is crushing Drexler's 2nd season despite Drexler being 2 years older.

I've said for awhile Sharpe has the potential to be the Blazers GOAT and MVP. I'm not saying he will reach that. My singular thought on what might hold Sharpe back is can he develop that assertive killer instinct? I actually saw that last night and it sadly didn't work. He went for an utterly dominant play and tried to GIGA dunk on Len. Sadly he was fouled no call. Sharpe was angry last night and unfortunately he was getting called for ticky tack fouls on Monk etc. I actually saw glimmers again last night that he can get aggressive and want to dominate. I think that instinct is in him and it's going to come out. Once he has that and improves his handle a bit more, it's over he's a Superstar with MVP potential. He clearly has the work ethic, the skills, and the insane body control and athleticism to be the GOAT of Blazers basketball.

I loved Dame in his first couple of seasons, but I never expected him to be as good as he was. I was super excited about Roy during Roy mania, but even then I didn't see him with the ceiling I see with Sharpe. This is quite possibly the most talented player we've ever drafted, or at worst number two, and the sky is the limit. Yes I'm including even the true GOAT Bill Walton. I guess Walton had a higher ceiling and certainly achieved more thus far, but injuries.

Sharpe can and will be a number one option on a Championship caliber team and I see that happening quite soon, as in 3-5 years.

 

[wizenheimer]

I like to compare Sharpe to Roy because he is so good at controlling his body through contact and being able to finish despite that contact. Booker, to me seems like he prefers to avoid contact compared to someone like Roy which seemed to relish starting it by initiating contact.

I am not saying that Booker can't finish when he gets contact, because he can, but if you look at Booker, he usually tries to use his lateral movement to avoid the contact to get a clean look, but he is strong enough to be able to finish with contact. Roy, used to initiate the contact to dictate how he gets to where-ever he wanted to take his shots from and Sharpe seems to do the same, especially this year.

I also said that to get to the Roy place Sharpe will need to improve his handling a lot. That's why I see B-Roy in Sharpe. Both could jump out of the building (Roy did it less as an NBA player for obvious reasons), both seem slow in their movement but are actually in control of the speed they want to play in and both seem to thrive in getting to where they want to be when they handle the ball by initiating contact.

Booker is a similar player, but as I said, his modus operandi seems to be to try and get a clean shot by avoiding the contact if he can, he does not usually initiate the contact.

maybe, but there isn't a big difference in career FT rates. Roy's mark was .352, Booker's is .321. Sharpe's career mark is .188; but he's at .328 in the small sample of this season. Roy shot 26.7% of his shots at the rim; Booker has shot 18.5% so there's a significant difference there and certainly there will be more contact & collision around the rim. Sharpe has attempted 28.1% of his shots at the rim

 

[BIG Q]

I look at Kobe's stats since he didn't play college ball either. It's not sacrilegious to compare him to Kobe the HOF'er as Drexler is also a HOF'er. I like how Sharpe stacks up. I think Sharpe is really a team player at heart. He won't do hero ball just for the sake of it. He passes, he boards and he plays defense. He lets the vets do their thing too much. The majority of us know he is the future, but Portland has done nothing to push that idea that I know of. Grant got 38 points, he has no problem putting up shots. I am confident that Billups wants Grant doing hero ball. Sharpe just kind of watches. Makes you wonder what he is thinking when lesser players, but vets are playing hero ball and he wants to play team ball. But my point is, Portland has done nothing to pimp Sharpe out. Scoot makes that silly top 25 under 25, Sharpe nowhere on the list. Crazy.

 

[Whyachi]

Shaedon currently leads the NBA in minutes (39.1)

Would have played 47 last night if Shaedon hadn't fouled out. Those floppy Kings should have got flop techs.

 

[Stevenson]

He has the potential for greatness, the body, the easy way the game comes to him, the hops, the shot.

My only question is motivation. As he himself has said, he's a "chill dude." Kobe's mamba mentality was unique, but's it what took him from good to great.

Just not sure Shaeden has that. It's not a knock, few guys do. But to get to greatness, he has to have that same drive that, well, Dame has.

 

[Natebishop3]

He has the potential for greatness, the body, the easy way the game comes to him, the hops, the shot.

My only question is motivation. As he himself has said, he's a "chill dude." Kobe's mamba mentality was unique, but's it what took him from good to great.

Just not sure Shaeden has that. It's not a knock, few guys do. But to get to greatness, he has to have that same drive that, well, Dame has.

I think Sharpe is driven, but being driven is not necessarily the same thing as having a killer instinct. I think Sharpe is committed to improving and working harder, but at times he defers during games and he doesn’t seem to have the same mentality that a Dame or Kobe or Jordan has/had.

 

[BIG Q]

I think Sharpe is driven, but being driven is not necessarily the same thing as having a killer instinct. I think Sharpe is committed to improving and working harder, but at times he defers during games and he doesn’t seem to have the same mentality that a Dame or Kobe or Jordan has/had.

I'll take Sharpe with 90% of those HOF'ers drive. Throughout sports it seems there is less drive.

 

[illmatic99]

Follow his trainer. Shaedon is always in the gym.


I find this talk about killer instinct etc funny. He's 20. And he hasn't played in meaningful competitive basketball in his career. Nearly every stage of his life so far, it's been about showcasing his talent. Not wins.

We don't yet know if he has that competitive edge that the top 0.1% of folks in the league have. But you don't get to the stage he has gotten to this early in his career without drive and smarts to go with natural talent. And those three alone should bump him up the ranks.

I don't need the chest thumping and screaming and fake hustle. I need a guy who calmly hits FTs in crunch time to tie a game then gets a game saving block a second later.

 

[Natebishop3]

Follow his trainer. Shaedon is always in the gym.


I find this talk about killer instinct etc funny. He's 20. And he hasn't played in meaningful competitive basketball in his career. Nearly every stage of his life so far, it's been about showcasing his talent. Not wins.

We don't yet know if he has that competitive edge that the top 0.1% of folks in the league have. But you don't get to the stage he has gotten to this early in his career without drive and smarts to go with natural talent. And those three alone should bump him up the ranks.

I don't need the chest thumping and screaming and fake hustle. I need a guy who calmly hits FTs in crunch time to tie a game then gets a game saving block a second later.

We can only comment on what we can see. So far he doesn’t exhibit the same mentality that Dame had/has. The “give me the fucking ball” vibe. That’s fine. Very few players have that. And even fewer SHOULD have that.

 

[illmatic99]

We can only comment on what we can see. So far he doesn’t exhibit the same mentality that Dame had/has. The “give me the fucking ball” vibe. That’s fine. Very few players have that. And even fewer SHOULD have that.

This is a bit revisionist history. Dame was a very clear #2 for the first 3 yrs of his career. Even the game winner against Houston was an audible by Batum after seeing the #1 option guarded.

 

[Natebishop3]

This is a bit revisionist history. Dame was a very clear #2 for the first 3 yrs of his career. Even the game winner against Houston was an audible by Batum after seeing the #1 option guarded.

How is it revisionist? I didn’t say a word about whether Dame possessed it immediately, but he hit how many game winners in his first three years in the league? He was even interviewed after the rockets win and said that he recognized that the rockets defense wasn’t set and that he could get the shot off, which is why he was clapping so loud to get Nic’s attention. Nic made the pass but Dame was the one who was screaming for the ball. But yes, Dame was older and Dame was used to being The Guy in college. But Dame is Dame. He’s not a quiet dude. He is HIM.

 

[illmatic99]

Also.

 

[illmatic99]

How is it revisionist? I didn’t say a word about whether Dame possessed it immediately, but he hit how many game winners in his first three years in the league? He was even interviewed after the rockets win and said that he recognized that the rockets defense wasn’t set and that he could get the shot off, which is why he was clapping so loud to get Nic’s attention. Nic made the pass but Dame was the one who was screaming for the ball. But yes, Dame was older and Dame was used to being The Guy in college. But Dame is Dame. He’s not a quiet dude. He is HIM.

It's revisiont to denigrate Shaedon because he supposedly doesn't possess this myhtical killer instict by comparing to Dame. Dame himself was not the number one option in his 88th game.

So if Shaedon hits a few game winners, he'll suddenly have this "factor" for you?

 

[Natebishop3]

It's revisiont to denigrate Shaedon because he supposedly doesn't possess this myhtical killer instict by comparing to Dame. Dame himself was not the number one option in his 88th game.

So if Shaedon hits a few game winners, he'll suddenly have this "factor" for you?

You are being so incredibly nit picky it’s insane. I said I haven’t seen it yet. I didn’t say he would never possess it. Are you intentionally being this pedantic?

 

[Natebishop3]

Being the first option on the first possession of the game and being the first option on the last possession of a game are not necessarily the same thing.