Shaedon Sharpe showed up to the Trail Blazers fan party today with his left arm in a sling, just an hour after Portland announced he would miss the first few weeks of the NBA season with a labral tear in his left shoulder.
Shaedon Sharpe suffered a small posterior labral tear in his left shoulder, an MRI confirmed this week.
Sharpe will begin rehab and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) 5 October 2024
The ad does not mention surgery, and it may not be required depending on the size and location of the tear in the shoulder. Sharpe had a similar injury during the 2022 Summer League, according to Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothesso he knows how to navigate this hurt.
Sharpe played in just 35 games last season due to a core muscle injury. This is Portland’s second training camp injury, with Robert Williams is missing time with a strained hamstring.
This season in Portland is all about giving their youth heavy minutes and seeing who can really play and be a part of what the Trail Blazers are trying to build, and who doesn’t. The ultra-athletic Sharpe is at the top of that watch list, along with Scoot Henderson, players the Blazers believe can be anchors in future seasons but must stay healthy and show it. Sharpe will also be eligible for an extension after this season, pushing that decision point a bit more.
Nothing is official, but Sharpe might start next to Anfernee Simons in athletic back, with Henderson the first guy off the bench. Now Henderson is likely to move into the starting five, what he does with that opportunity will be the question.
