Blazers Beat: Sharpe slated for second career start against Memphis

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, November 1, 2022

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups confirmed Tuesday that rookie Shaedon Sharpe will be making his second career start Wednesday night at home against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Sharpe is starting in place of injured star Damian Lillard, who is still resting a right calf strain suffered in the Blazers’ lone loss this year against Miami on Oct. 26. Billups confirmed there has been no setbacks in Lillard’s recovery, which was slated to be 1-2 weeks following the announced diagnosis Oct. 27.

In Sharpe’s first career start Oct. 28 at home against Houston, the 6-foot-6, 19-year-old, guard/forward combo pulled in 14 points with two assists and one rebound. More importantly, he electrified the home crowd with plenty of highlight-reel dunks that showed why the Blazers (5-1) thought so highly of him despite sitting out last year at Kentucky.

With Memphis (4-3) in town, the Western Conference No. 2 seed last season, and ESPN broadcasting the game, Billups wants his rookie to approach the game the same way Sharpe would any other game.

“If I tell him and talk to him about those things, that just adds pressure to the situation. It’s a basketball game,” Billups said. “I want him to just stay focused on things that we’re trying to do.

“Every game he plays is on TV, the channel doesn’t matter.”

While Sharpe’s baseline stats don’t pop off the page with 9.3 points per game, 3 rebounds and 0.3 assists through six games, his ceiling is showing with the athleticism and ease that has been on the floor at the Moda Center.

And the Blazers have won games thanks to his time out there, displayed by plus/minus of +20, tied for third on the team.

“I honestly think he reminds me some of Brandon Roy by way of how smooth he is, and Brandon was a lot more athletic than he got credit for,” Billups said when asked about a player comparison for Sharep from Billups’ era. “He gets to his spots, you really don’t speed him up.

“He reminds me also of a little bit like Vince Carter. His athleticism, his smoothness, his gracefulness. Obviously those are big time players, Vince is going to be a Hall of Famer, but (Sharpe) has this kind of potential.”

Offseason signee Gary Payton II also met with the media on Tuesday, his first appearance since media day due to a summer abdominal surgery that has sidelined him through the first six games.

The team announced Tuesday that Payton II will miss the six-game road trip coming up, but after Portland returns home, the team plans to establish a time frame for his return.

Payton II, son of former NBA star Gary Payton, is no stranger to the Pacific Northwest having been born in Seattle and spent two years playing for Oregon State in Corvallis. The guard said he was happy to be back in the PNW rain as he continues to recover from his injury.

The guard also didn’t give much insight to his injury beyond the team release, saying things will be taken day to day.

But Payton II is certainly on the Sharpe hype train as well after watching from the sidelines.

“That boy good, I know that,” Payton II said with a smile. “He asks questions when he needs to or when he doesn’t understand. He just wants to learn and he will once he goes out there and plays. He’s starting to get more comfortable and more into rhythm and know the speed of the game.”

That role of players coming up to Payton II asking question is a new one for the NBA journeyman who bounced around between NBA and G League teams before landing a role with the Golden State Warriors last season.

That role was a defensive minded one and is a big reason why Portland wanted to bring in the 29-year-old on his first long-term NBA deal.

And through six games, the stopper has liked what he’s seen from the defensive end of the ball.

“We’re just fighters,” Payton II said. “We got a lot of young guys so it’s good to see them learn and get reps in real speed. They’re starting to figure it out so we can keep doing it. Just working on the little things and master the little things to continue to be great.”

Portland welcomes Memphis at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2 for the nationally televised game on ESPN.

After that, it’s a six-game road trip with a back-to-back Nov. 4-5 against the Phoenix Suns. Then it’s off to Miami on Nov. 7 and then up the eastern coast to Charlotte for a Nov. 9 matchup. The road trip closes with a Nov. 10 game at New Orleans and a Nov. 12 matchup at Dallas.