TORONTO – Shaedon Sharpe’s having a record-setting season for himself and for a Canadian.
Sharpe’s 36-point performance led the Portland Trail Blazers past Toronto 112-103 on Thursday, tying a personal best and scoring the most points by a Canadian against the Raptors. Sharpe wasn’t even aware that he had made history at Scotiabank Arena until after the win.
“I didn’t know that until I had to interview with (Trail Blazers courtside reporter Brooke Olzendam) after the game, but that’s crazy,” said Sharpe in the visitors’ locker room. “It’s a blessing to make history in the city I grew up.
“But I didn’t know that, that’s crazy.”
Sharpe, who was born in London, Ont., was averaging 18 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists heading into Thursday’s game. He not only doubled his average scoring performance against the Raptors, but added six rebounds and five assists.
The 21-year-old shooting guard said he felt prepared for Toronto as Portland makes a push for the Western Conference’s play-in tournament. The Trail Blazers are 2 1/2 games behind the Sacramento Kings for 10th in the West.
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“I think film really helped me for the game and just picking my spots on the court and also knowing what they had in store,” said Sharpe. “I was able to get down hill and create for my teammates, and when I opened it up, I just started driving.”
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Driving to the net is exactly what Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has asked of Sharpe this season.
“My big thing with him is always telling him to be aggressive, just to be on the attack at all times,” said Billups pre-game. “That allows you to have to learn some of these defences.
“Not playing in the crowd, trying to turn you over. You know, being smart about that.”
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said that Sharpe’s aggressiveness was hard for his defence to manage.
“I think the film is going to show that he just kept going, and our big was not present enough to stop his drives to the rim,” he said. “(Sharpe) was getting all open lines there, and I really wanted our coverage to work, and that’s something that we’re going to look at in film and learn from this.”
Sharpe said that it is an honour to learn from Billups, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024 for his accomplishments as a point guard.
“It’s a blessing having your coach tell you to be aggressive and just play hard the right way,” said Sharpe. “I’m glad I’m able to do that and help my team in that way.”
Sharpe’s season is a significant turnaround from his first two years in the NBA.
Drafted seventh overall by Portland in the 2022 NBA Draft, Sharpe averaged 9.9 points, three rebounds and 1.2 assists over 80 games in his rookie season. His sophomore season was limited to 32 games because of an abdominal injury and he averaged 15.9 points, five rebounds and 2.9 assists.
“It’s been, obviously a ton of growth for Shaedon this season,” said Billups. “Last year he had been out so much, he’s the kind of guy, he wanted to play. He takes it very personally. Wants to play every single night and that’s one thing I love about him.
“So he’s been healthy this season and he’s learned a ton and I think you see him right now and think he’s playing as good as he’s ever played.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
