{"id":126133,"date":"2025-02-28T10:01:46","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T15:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=126133"},"modified":"2025-02-28T10:01:46","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T15:01:46","slug":"shaedon-sharpe-athleticism-new-height","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/28\/shaedon-sharpe-athleticism-new-height\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaedon Sharpe&#8217;s Athleticism Has Reached A New Height"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sharpsh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shaedon Sharpe<\/a> made headlines when he had a dunk of the year candidate against the Washington Wizards, illustrating how his athleticism is one of his biggest strengths.<\/p>\n<h2>Shaedon Sharpe&#8217;s Athleticism Has Reached A New Height<\/h2>\n<p>The Portland Trail Blazers do not usually make headlines, but Sharpe&#8217;s athleticism rocked the NBA world on Wednesday. He had a stellar performance against the Wizards, posting 36 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. It was a magnificent game from the third-year guard, especially since he came off the bench.<\/p>\n<p>The 129-121 win became more emphatic due to a trademark Shaedon dunk over <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/champju01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Justin Champagnie<\/a>. It was a jaw-dropping play, but it has become a familiar sign for Portland&#8217;s fans. They have a highlight reel player with Sharpe, who has a near-limitless ceiling as a player for the Blazers.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">SHAEDON SHARPE DUNK OF THE YEAR?! \ud83e\udd2f\ud83e\udd2f\ud83e\udd2f<\/p>\n<p>WOW \u203c\ufe0f <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/omxJooiPKo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/omxJooiPKo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BleacherReport\/status\/1894916702061687115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 27, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Sharpe&#8217;s Athleticism Makes Him One Of The League&#8217;s Best<\/h3>\n<p>In terms of pure athleticism, Sharpe is tough to beat. His 49-inch vertical is the highest in NBA history. Despite those insane numbers, the most impressive verticals have been the trademark Shaedon dunks during games.<\/p>\n<p>The NBA posted the five-best verticals of the 2024-25 season, which included Sharpe and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/moranja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ja Morant<\/a>. Number two was from Morant, but the rest of the five showcased Sharpe&#8217;s athleticism. The best dunk was a 45.1&#8243; alley-oop dunk against the Utah Jazz.<\/p>\n<p>With that kind of catalog, it is tough to count out Shaedon from the best athletes in the league. Of course, the league still has plenty of elite athletes. This includes the twins, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompam01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amen Thompson<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompau01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ausar Thompson<\/a>. But, you also have to count players like Morant and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/edwaran01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Edwards<\/a>. The NBA has many absurd athletes, but Sharpe&#8217;s dunks and athleticism could take him to the <a  href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/iJLsr6NOuTo?si=0UoLPlIasUziv0vF&amp;t=127\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Upper Room<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">TOP 5 VERTS OF THE SEASON \ud83c\udf7f<\/p>\n<p>(4 are <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShaedonSharpe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ShaedonSharpe<\/a>&#8230;) <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HdsTN6iLgx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/HdsTN6iLgx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBA\/status\/1895148121400975717?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 27, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>A Dunk Of The Year Candidate<\/h3>\n<p>Sharpe introduced himself to the rest of the league with that highlight poster. Many Blazers fans are clamoring for him to join the Slam Dunk Contest and possibly dethrone three-time champ <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mccluma01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mac McClung<\/a>. With a reported 49-inch vertical, Sharpe&#8217;s athleticism makes him a formidable opponent if he decides to enter.<\/p>\n<p>The dunk is one of the most exciting highlights of the year. After the game, he talked about the dunk, but in typical Shaedon fashion, he was modest about it. &#8220;So when (Champagnie) had the ball, I was watching him the whole time, so I knew he was passing the ball,&#8221; <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/trailblazers\/status\/1894947567664046408\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sharpe said in a post-game interview<\/a>.\u00a0&#8220;So I kind of read and kind of cheated, so once he threw it, I knew I had the steal. And then I seen dude in the way, so I just jumped and tried to dunk it, and it went in.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>However, Sharpe is capable of more dunks and highlights because he is a talented young player. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/12\/scoot-faith-in-blazers-rebuild\/\" target=\"_self\">Portland&#8217;s ongoing rebuild<\/a> hinges on his development alongside budding point guard <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hendesc01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Scoot Henderson<\/a>. Thankfully, these highlight plays are helpful for Portland because they are helping him build more confidence.<\/p>\n<h3>More Than A Trademark Dunk<\/h3>\n<p>Sharpe&#8217;s athleticism might make NBA fans box him into just being a flashy dunker. He is more than that, as he is one of the most promising shooting guards in the league. He is a natural scorer and a developing defender who is improving his instincts well.<\/p>\n<p>The 21-year-old averages 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. Efficiency is still an issue with 32.1% from long range, but he is an undeniable talent. Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/01\/sharpe-blazers-superstar-potential\/\" target=\"_self\">Sharpe&#8217;s superstar potential<\/a>, head coach Chauncey Billups wants him to learn more about his overall game. That has led to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/14\/portland-problem-shaedon-sharpe-role\/\" target=\"_self\">Billups benching him<\/a>, and he has positively responded.<\/p>\n<p>Sharpe will partner with Henderson in the backcourt in the future. <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/simonan01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anfernee Simons<\/a> is still on the team, so general manager Joe Cronin must commit to the young core with a trade. The Blazers would want a good trade package, but it comes to a point that they must support the core.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Geoff Burke-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shaedon Sharpe made headlines when he had a dunk of the year candidate against the Washington Wizards, illustrating how his athleticism is one of his biggest strengths. Shaedon Sharpe&#8217;s Athleticism Has Reached A New Height The Portland Trail Blazers do not usually make headlines, but Sharpe&#8217;s athleticism rocked the NBA world on Wednesday. He had [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5385,"featured_media":126158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62,23],"tags":[4600],"class_list":["post-126133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","category-trailblazers","tag-shaedon-sharpe"],"modified_by":"Kayla Fonte","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5385"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126133"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126160,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126133\/revisions\/126160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}