Thanks portland trailblazersThe world finally got new footage of Shadon Sharp playing basketball in a pre-season game against Israeli club Maccabi Raanana. The 19-year-old came off the bench and in 23 minutes he scored 27 points to lead the Blazers to his 138-85 win.
Sharpe also helped the monsters win with the help of friends like Keon Johnson, Olivier Searle, Brandon Williams, Jabari Walker and the ejected Greg Brown III.
What happened
Damian Lillard, Anfanie Simmons, Josh Hart, Justice Winslow and Yusuf Nurkic rest while Chauncey starts Brandon Williams, Johnson, Nasir Little, Trendon Watford and Drew Eubanks let me It was a fairly inexperienced cohort facing a Maccabi team of former NBA talents Briante Weber, Norris Cole, Terrence Jones and Sindarius Thornwell.
The Blazers took an early lead before Sharpe entered the contest with 3:56 left in the first quarter. It didn’t take long for him to move. An eye-opening defensive play on his part, early on he hit a 3, tangled with an effortless slash to the rim, and honestly looked like he was traveling at half speed. The second quarter continued in the same way, even though the Israeli club launched some aggressive pushes. The third quarter was highlighted by Johnson’s back-to-back 3-pointers. This was only marred by Brown’s ejection after being handed two technical fouls on him.
player notes
Before I start talking lyrically about Sharpe, I’ll plant my disclaimer that “the competition wasn’t good enough to deal with.” That said, when it comes to innate ability and feel for the game, it’s rare to see so much in a 19-year-old who already has the physical tools. It needs to be toned down, but its two-way ability and athleticism are special. Hopefully sooner or later it turns into NBA competition. Young Canadians are fearless and know every nook and cranny of the basketball court. Seemed to retain a veteran demeanor.
Johnson continues to impress with his improved ball handling, defense and shooting. He started a sharply fun alley-oop late in the game that defined the impact the pair had on the game, with the 20-year-old set to gain a few minutes in his rotation of busy guards and an injured teammate. may not be at the expense of Billups may need to get him on the court.
The writer’s prediction has consistently been that Olivier Sarr will take the second two-way spot, and tonight proved why. He defended imposingly, taking four shots, making plays and flooring the ball in several spots. He didn’t make threes tonight, but Sir has the ability to do so, and considering there’s no big man on the roster, Sir is clearly the Blazers’ great athletic Frenchman 7 he’s a footer.
After struggling in the first few outings of the preseason, Williams did better tonight, playing smart and hitting shots when it was open. It was an impeccable night for Little, who played just 18 minutes, despite his three early goals and impressive finishes on his Ra’ananas in his first two.
Watford made his first appearance in pre-season, executing his trademark floaters and smart headplay, but Walker rarely made a mistake on his foot.
The final quarter saw the rest of the training camp invitees get a chance to play, other than Sir and Jared Rhoden, who both suffered decent burns in the encounter. This proves worthy for Devonte Cacock, Isaiah Miller and his NBA veteran Wes Iwandou before general manager Joe Cronin makes the final roster decision before opening night. It was the best chance I could have.
next:
The Blazers head to Northern California, Sacramento Kings on sunday.
