Shaedon Sharpe on Lower Rungs of NBA Rookie Ladder

Portland Trail Blazers rookie Shaedon Sharpe is beloved in Rip City but is having trouble getting a purchase on the Kia NBA Rookie Ladder for 2022-23. Sharpe is averaging 7.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game over 57 appearances for the Blazers, and that was only good enough for 12th on the periodically-updated list made my Steve Aschburner for NBA.com.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero and Indiana Pacers forward Benedict Mathurin lead the list at positions 1 and 2, respectively. That’s no surprise. They’ve been there all season. Banchero averages 20 points, Mathurin 17.3. Sharpe trailing Utah Jazz phenom Walker Kessler and a whole bunch of guys named Jalen doesn’t hurt either. It’s just the mode of the day.

But Tari Eason of the Houston Rockets, as well as Jeremy Sochan AND Malaki Branham of the excuse me San Antonio Spurs? Excuse me, I can count 27 combined wins for those teams. That’s a little ouchy.

I mean, pile Eason on top of Sochan on top of Branham and stick the ghost of Vince Carter on their shoulders and they still won’t be able to do this:

Oh wait, you’re blinded now, huh? Maybe that’s what happened to Mr. Aschburner too. Like, “Oh, Shaedon Sharpe is in 6th place and OH NO HE JUST BROKE THE LIST WITH THAT SLAM. I’ll just shuffle it together randomly and hope nobody notices. Now fetch me my Visine and gauze.”

Ah well. With fellow guard Anfernee Simons out for an undetermined amount of time with a Grade 2 ankle sprain and Portland’s small forward situationship changing daily, Sharpe might get enough extra time to up the season averages a bit, maybe getting as high as...10th? Or one can hope, anyway.

Stay tuned.