Blazers Get Good News About Shaedon Sharpe

The No. 7 overall pick will not require surgery on his shoulder.

The Blazers' run at Las Vegas Summer League ended with a championship, but it started on a down note when No. 7 overall pick Shaedon Sharpe suffered a small labral tear in his left shoulder five minutes into the first game of the tournament. Fortunately for Sharpe, the worst-case scenario has been avoided.

The team announced on Wednesday afternoon that Sharpe will not require surgery on the injured shoulder and is expected to be ready to go for training camp in September.

In the days following the injury, the Blazers' front office and medical staff were optimistic that Sharpe's labral tear was small enough that it would be able to heal on its own without a surgery that would sideline him several months, and it appears that is indeed the case.

After the Blazers' Summer League title run, much of the interest and excitement around Sharpe has been usurped by their other rookie, No. 57 overall pick Jabari Walker, who earned the team's 15th and final roster spot after an impressive week in Vegas. But there is still going to be a lot of intrigue around Sharpe once training camp starts, and especially once preseason games get off the ground.

Five unremarkable Summer League minutes aside, Sharpe has not played high-level competitive basketball since high school after opting not to play his freshman season at Kentucky. The team took him in the top 10 as an upside play, with the knowledge that it may take a while before he's ready to contribute. A major shoulder surgery would have set his development curve back further; the Blazers are fortunate that it didn't go that way.