Latest Shaedon Sharpe injury could derail his career

Shaedon Sharpe has shown undeniable talent and scoring ability when he’s on the court. Unfortunately, he’s not going to be on the court for a long time.

The Portland Trail Blazers announced that Sharpe suffered a torn meniscus and would be out for at least six months. It’s a brutal loss for the team and for a player facing a make-or-break fifth NBA season.

Shaedon Sharpe's development slowed by injuries

Sharpe has steadily improved his scoring numbers every season, reaching 20.8 points per game last season. He’s not the most efficient scorer, with a slightly below-average effective field goal percentage of 51.1 percent. Sharpe is an incredible dunker but needs to improve as a passer and outside shooter.

Unfortunately, Sharpe isn’t going to get the court time he badly needs to develop his physical gifts into useful NBA skills. He’s likely to be out until the All-Star break, one season after missing 32 games with injuries. Sharpe missed 50 games in his second season and didn’t play at all during his lone college season at Kentucky.

In the last five years, Sharpe has played just 239 competitive games of basketball. Meanwhile, he’s on his third head coach in a year, with Micah Nori replacing Tiago Splitter, who replaced Chauncey Billups. It's a bad situation for the evolution of his game.

Portland Trail Blazers have big decisions to make

The Blazers aren't just trying to build on the success of last season, when they returned to the playoffs for the first time in five years. They're also evaluating the future of their roster.

Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija are set at the forward positions. Third-year center Donovan Clingan led the NBA in offensive rebounds last season and Robert Williams III is a great backup when he’s healthy.

At the guard and wing slots, there’s much more of a logjam. Damian Lillard is returning from his Achilles tear, the Blazers traded for Ja Morant and playoff standout Scoot Henderson will likely come off the bench, playing in the final year of his rookie contract.

Throw in Jrue Holiday, who has two years and $72M left on his contract, and you’ve got a very crowded backcourt. A trade feels inevitable, but the Blazers won’t be able to see how Sharpe looks next to Morant and Lillard before the trade deadline, nor will they see how he adapts to Nori's system.

It’s hard to predict what would have happened for Sharpe this season if his knee stayed healthy. But missing a huge chunk of the season could change Sharpe's career in Portland. It could also mean his career continues somewhere else.