Trail Blazers select Canadian Shaedon Sharpe with 7th overall selection
With the No. 7 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe.
Sharpe is one of the biggest wild cards in recent draft memory, as the 19-year-old gained notoriety as a prospect despite never playing a game in college.
The Canadian reclassified to the 2022 class midway through the 2021-22 season and enrolled at Kentucky in January. Sharpe initially planned to sit out the semester and play with the Wildcats next season, but he was deemed eligible for this year's draft and left school.
Previously ranked as the top player in the upcoming high school recruiting class, Sharpe's tantalizing tool kit of prototypical guard size, out-of-the-gym jumping ability, and smooth shooting stroke fit the bill of a top two-guard in the NBA. However, his lack of experience against reputable competition leaves a giant question mark under his name, making Sharpe the ultimate boom-or-bust prospect.
Bio
Position: Guard
School: Kentucky
College Experience: Freshman
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 198 lbs
Wingspan: 7-foot
Max Vertical: N/A
Strengths
- World-class athleticism and leaping ability
- Great height, wingspan, and hand size measurables
- Strong shooter both off the catch and off the dribble
- Creative and effective finishing at the rim
- Physical and athletic tools to become a great defender
Weaknesses
- Virtually no experience against upper-tier competition his own age
- Effort-level and motor can be inconsistent, especially defensively
- Doesn't always make the right reads with the ball in his hands