Blazers rookie Shaedon Sharpe to miss rest of Summer League due to small tear in left shoulder

Portland Trail Blazers Rookie Shaddon Sharp suffered a small tear in his left shoulder during Thursday’s Summer League opening game against Detroit Pistons And re-evaluation will be done in 10-14 days, The team announced Saturday. Sharp underwent an MRI on Friday, which confirmed the injury. With the Summer League ending on Sunday, July 17, Sharpe will miss the rest of the festivities in Vegas.

Sharp suffered his injury just six minutes after Portland’s game against Detroit. He did not return in the first half, and announced his absence in the second half. Teams often err on the side of caution when it comes to summer league injuries because matches don’t count. In all likelihood, Sharpe won’t be the only rookie to be disqualified before the Summer League ends.

Sharpe was the 7th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, but he was among the more obscure prospects available. Sharp, a top recruit out of high school, attended the University of Kentucky but didn’t actually play there after graduating from high school early and was initially planning for his freshman season before playing for the Wildcats next year. He was such a promising prospect in high school that Portland felt comfortable choosing him for the lottery regardless.

That would have made the Summer League an excellent show for Sharpe, but he’ll have plenty of chances to prove himself on the field when the season begins in October. Neither he nor the Blazers have much to gain by pushing him to play injured now, so his summer league is almost certainly over.