The Game is Slowing Down for Shaedon Sharpe

The Trail Blazers rookie is growing more comfortable and earning Chauncey Billups' trust.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Trail Blazers' Sunday loss to the Clippers did not feature Shaedon Sharpe's customary once-a-game out-of-this-world highlight. What it did feature was one of the most solid games the rookie has played all season, a continuation of recent growth that has encouraged the organization.

In 24 minutes off the bench, Sharpe finished with 10 points and three steals, shooting 4-for-6 from the field and knocking down two three-pointers.

Sharpe's minutes have fluctuated throughout the year. Despite how unpolished he was coming into the season, having missed his freshman season at Kentucky, he's been in the rotation since opening night, with head coach Chauncey Billups wanting to give him a real chance to develop in game action given the organization's investment in him with the No. 7 overall pick.

It's been a bumpy road in Sharpe's first season, as is usually the case with rookies. But over the past two weeks, the game has slowed down.

"He's playing so much harder now than he was early in the season," Billups said. "And I think it was mostly just being familiar. Now, he knows where the rotations are supposed to be, so he can rotate harder. Whereas early on, he's not rotating as fast, because he's confused about where he's supposed to go. He's understanding better, which I think has picked up his confidence."

For his part, Sharpe is feeling more at home.

"I'm really comfortable being on this team, playing with these guys," he told me after the loss to the Clippers.

It's been a gradual process for Sharpe to grasp the nuances of the NBA game. For every SportsCenter-leading dunk, there have been several blown defensive rotations or open shots passed up. After an explosive first week of the season, he started showing up on teams' scouting reports, and typical rookie struggles followed.

"Early on, young players are depending on their ability," Damian Lillard said Sunday. "And with him, being as talented as he is, a super-athlete, the game comes easy to him. But at this level, everybody's talented and you've got to figure out the way of the league, learn the ropes, and you've got to figure out how not to be taken advantage of. He learned that early, that the game kind of spins you around and has you looking like a chicken with your head cut off. Right now, it's starting to slow down for him a little bit. He's having better judgment defensively, offensively he's starting to see stuff he hasn't seen before. Now that he's not relying on his ability the whole time, he's starting to see the game more and it's allowing him to look better and just put solid games together. I think it's normal for young players to start figuring things out towards the end of the season."

As the competitive portion of the Blazers' season begins to wind down, with more and more key players sitting out in the coming weeks, expect Sharpe to get more minutes to close out the year, and hopefully a greater opportunity to finish his rookie season with positive momentum.

"Shaedon has come a long way," Billups said. "He really has. From an approach standpoint. I'm always on him. I coach him pretty hard. He misses less assignments defensively right now. I'm always working with him on his urgency. It always looks like it's just a regular situation, he's just going to the park to hoop, when that's not the situation. Some of that is just his demeanor, and some of that I think you can control. So I'm working on him with that, and some of that he's getting better with. He's getting better with his shot selection. He stays in front of the ball pretty well, his rotations. He's doing much better. He's come a long way this year. That was one of the things this year was, I want to find a way to develop him. He's going to be a big part of what we do here, so we've got to live through some of those tough nights. But he's come a long way."