LAS VEGAS – The summer league debut for Portland Trail Blazers rookie guard Shaedon Sharpe included two missed threes, an ugly turnover and a smooth baseline fadeaway jumper.
Seconds later, Sharpe’s night ended with a shoulder injury after 5 minutes and 33 seconds of action against Detroit at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Blazers lost 81-78 after coming back from being down 41-34 at halftime to trail just 70-69 with under three minutes remaining in the game.
Guard Keon Johnson led the Blazers with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Point guard Brandon Williams contributed 15 points and four assists.
It was a disappointing night for the Blazers, aside from the loss, given that Sharpe’s debut came with great anticipation. The Blazers selected him with the No. 7 pick in the June 23 NBA draft and Sharpe was eager to make a good impression in his first outing.
But he never really had a chance.
Sharpe missed his first two field-goal attempts, both threes, and badly misfired on a pass in transition resulting in a turnover. That all led to his half-spin, fade away from the right baseline that made the score 16-13, Detroit. At the next timeout, Sharpe left the game and never returned.
Blazers summer league head coach Steve Hetzel said he was unsure how severe Sharpe’s injury might have been.
“I’m not even sure on the diagnosis of what the injury is right now,” Hetzel said. “I just know that he was held out as a precaution.”
Hetzel said that Sharpe told him at halftime that he felt good but the team chose to remain cautious with his injury and wait to see what test results might reveal.
While fans in attendance were cheated out of seeing Sharpe in action for very long, they were treated to a strong showing by two Pistons rookies, guard Jaden Ivy, the fifth-overall pick, and center Jalen Duren, the 13th pick.
Ivy started and scored 20 points with six rebounds and six assists. Duren, who worked out for the Blazers during the predraft process, also started and had nine points in just under 12 minutes.
Ivy made two free throws with 58.5 seconds remaining in the game that gave Detroit a 78-75 lead. Blazers guard Didi Louzada missed a layup on the Blazers’ next possession and then the Pistons pushed their lead to 80-75 with 31.4 seconds to go on drive to the hoop by Ivy.
Hetzel said he felt that first-game jitters might have impacted the team in the first half but thought that they settled down and played better in the second half.
“I loved the effort,” Hetzel said. “These guys are together. And that’s what’s most important. I like how they pull for one another. In the huddle, they are always positive.”
Johnson wasn’t the only Blazers player to bring intensity but he certainly was the most effective player on the court.
“I like what Keon did today,” Hetzel said. “He was aggressive. He played very, very hard. His defense was intense.”
(more to come)
Detroit Pistons’ Isaiah Livers drives against Portland Trail Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe during the first half an NBA summer league basketball game Thursday, July 7, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) APAP
7 p.m. Saturday vs. New Orleans Pelicans (ESPN2)
8 p.m. Monday vs. New York Knicks (ESPN2)
6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 14 vs. Houston Rockets (NBA TV)
All games will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the campus of UNLV. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting NBAEvents.com.
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).
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