Trail Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe out at least 2 weeks with lower abdominal strain

Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe is expected to miss at least two weeks due to a lower abdominal strain, according to reports. Sharpe, 20, was injured during last Thursday’s 139-77 pulverizing loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The second-year guard was downgraded to out against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday and prior to the Phoenix Suns matchup on Sunday as well. He has missed seven games this season.

Sharpe was selected seventh overall by Portland in the 2022 NBA Draft out of the University of Kentucky, where he attended but did not play. The 6-foot-6 guard made 15 starts in 80 games of his rookie 2022-23 season.

Shaedon Sharpe exited the Jan. 11 matchup at Oklahoma City. Further imaging demonstrated a lower abdominal strain.

Sharpe will be re-evaluated in two weeks. pic.twitter.com/F4RDY9lx8A

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) January 16, 2024

He averaged 9.9. points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 22.2 minutes per game with the Trail Blazers. Plus, he shot 47.2% from the floor, 36% beyond the arc, and 71.4% at the foul line.

In Portland’s 120-80 loss against the Sacramento Kings on March 29, 2023, he recorded a career-high 30 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and one block in 45 minutes as a starter.

Furthermore, Sharpe has made 25 starts in 32 appearances of his 2023-24 sophomore season. The Ontario native is averaging career highs of 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 33.1 minutes per game.

Sharpe is shooting 40.6% from the field, 33.3% from deep, and a career-best 82.4% at the line as well.

Portland Trail Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds vs. Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 30

Sharpe posted a season-high 29 points in wins over the Detroit Pistons (Nov. 1) and Cleveland Cavaliers (Nov. 30). He notched a career-high 10 rebounds, five assists, and one steal in 40 minutes of action against Cleveland.

For the most part, the guard is playing his best basketball this season.

However, in the Trail Blazers’ 107-98 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 17, he committed a career-high 10 turnovers in a little over 38 minutes played. Ten turnovers were 60% of Portland’s total in the matchup.

The 3 largest jumps in Minutes/Game from last season among guards

1. Cam Thomas
2. Shaedon Sharpe
3. Coby White pic.twitter.com/CXySoLdSLh

— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) January 10, 2024

“I’ve been there. I can remember as a rookie having nine turnovers at the Garden,” Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said of Sharpe’s 10-turnover game.

“I remember it. So for me, it’s one of those tough things when you’re developing. Sometimes it’s painful. But then you’ve got to learn from it. You’ve got to take and learn from it. That’s the beauty of it, or if you don’t learn from it and keep doing it, that’s when it gets really tough.

“This is a part of it for him. We’re asking him to do so much: bring it up, make the play, shoot on the kick-outs, get to the basket, make the next…maybe I’m asking too much of him right now. And he’s not a natural playmaker yet. So we’re asking him to do that too.”