Shaedon Sharpe scored 29 points, Jerami Grant chipped in 13, and the Portland Trail Blazers got their second straight impressive road win this week, 103-95 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
Sharpe was electric for the Blazers, adding 10 rebounds, five assists, and four made 3-pointers to his high scoring output. With that stat line, Sharpe is the youngest Blazer (by seven years) to reach these numbers in a game, according to StatMuse.
Earlier this month, the 20-year-old phenom became the youngest player in team history to reach 1,000 points. The record was previously held by Sebastian Telfair, who reached 1,000 points near the end of his second season in 2005-06. The Blazers drafted Telfair out of high school with the 13th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.
Sharpe has taken a massive leap for the Blazers this season. Since Anfernee Simons was injured in the first game of the season, he has put up 17 points per game to go along with nearly five rebounds and three assists per night.
Most surprising, Sharpe has shown a giant leap in his willingness and ability to get buckets in crunch time. Where last season he mostly shot 3-pointers or would drive and try to dunk as an outlet valve, this year he's a more focal part of the offense, especially down the stretch. Sharpe is initiating the Blazers offense more frequently and working in more creative ways. His percentage of midrange shots is up, and he's more than tripled his free throw rate.
Perhaps most importantly, Sharpe is much more able to create his own shot instead of relying on teammates to find him in position. The Blazers relied on Sharpe in crunch time against the Cavs – he had 10 in the fourth quarter, and 20 in the second half.
Up next for Sharpe and the Blazers – a trip to visit the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
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