Blazers' Shaedon Sharpe Out at Least 10-14 Days with Shoulder Injury
The Portland Trail Blazers announced Saturday that rookie guard Shaedon Sharpe, who was selected No. 7 overall in the latest NBA draft, suffered a small labral tear in his left shoulder and will be reevaluated in 10-14 days. Sharpe will begin "immediate rest and rehabilitation," per the team.
Sharpe suffered the injury during the first quarter of the Blazers' summer league game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
Sharpe got a bucket in before he was forced to exit:
The 247Sports composite rankings class of 2021 listed the Kentucky commit third in the nation among men's basketball recruits, behind only Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren. That's good company considering that pair went one-two in the 2022 NBA draft.
The initial plan was for Sharpe to sit the 2021-22 season at UK before taking on a starring role in 2022-23, but he ultimately decided to enter the draft waters this season. That proved fruitful, as Sharpe ended up safely landing in the lottery.
Unfortunately, Sharpe will miss the remainder of summer league play, which ends July 17.
Thankfully, training camp doesn't start until September, with the regular season beginning in October, so he has time to get well before the season begins in earnest. Once on the court, he figures to fill out the backcourt rotation behind starters Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons. Gary Payton II figures to be the top guard option off the bench along with Sharpe.
