Shaedon Sharpe Progressing in Shoulder Rehab Ahead of Crucial Season
With an extension decision looming next summer and a lot of competition for playing time, Sharpe has a lot riding on his third season.
π TUALATIN, Ore. β When the Trail Blazers open the 2024-25 season on Wednesday against Golden State, Shaedon Sharpe not will be playing.
In the first week of training camp, Sharpe suffered a small labral tear in his left shoulder, the exact same injury that cut short his Summer League two years ago. At the time, the team said he would miss four to six weeks, putting his season debut somewhere in early to mid-November.
All indications are that Sharpe is making good progress. After spending one week with his arm in a sling, heβs now been cleared for non-contact basketball activities and has been shooting and doing ballhandling drills in practice. Based on that, itβs reasonable to expect he could be back in that time frame.
βItβs frustrating,β Sharpe said Tuesday after practice, speaking to reporters for the first time since the injury. βI didnβt get to play as many games as I wanted to last season. But Iβm just staying the course and doing my rehab.β
Sharpe hasnβt played basketball since January, when a core muscle injury that had been bothering him for most of last season continued to linger, ultimately resulting in a February surgery. This summer, he was cleared to participate in training camp with the Canadian national team ahead of the Paris Olympics, and played in pickup and pro-am games.
After what was largely a wasted second season, both he and the Blazers have a lot riding on this year. His role, ceiling and future contract are all very much up in the air, and once heβs back from this shoulder injury, a lot of that will be decided over the next year.