Trail Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe Tightens Up Defense After Move to Bench

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups shook things up during Portland’s 113-102 win over the Chicago Bulls Sunday by taking third-year guard Shaedon Sharpe out of the starting lineup. The decision to move Portland’s leading scorer, and arguably its most promising young player in the rebuild, to the bench made waves, particularly for the reasoning behind the change: defense.

“I don’t believe in playing on one side of the ball, I just can’t allow that on my watch,” Billups told reporters in the pregame press conference at the Moda Center. “[Shaedon] has to be better.”

At that pregame presser, when a reporter asked what Sharpe needed to improve specifically on defense, Billups gave the general answer of “pretty much all of it.” He also said there needed to be consequences for Sharpe’s defensive struggles. The return of Jerami Grant and Deni Avdija from injury over the weekend gave Billups the opportunity to implement those consequences and send a message to the 21-year-old Sharpe to improve his play.

“With all of my guys,’ Billups said, “I always tell them, ‘I’m not actually taking you out of the lineup, I’m just the messenger. You are, it’s not me.’”

Facing the demotion, Sharpe didn’t hang his head during Portland’s double-digit win against the Bulls, which snapped a five-game losing streak. In 33 minutes, Sharpe produced 23 points, four rebounds and three assists while shooting 8-18 from the floor. More importantly, he brought the focus and attention to detail his coach wanted from him on defense.

“I was proud of him,” Billups said about Sharpe after the game. “I thought defensively he was locked in.”

“I think I took a big step in doing what [Coach Billups] said,” Sharpe told reporters in the postgame locker room. “So I just got to continue to do that.”

Sharpe didn’t follow through on Billups’ challenge by producing defensive gems; he didn’t log a single block or steal against the Bulls. However, he remained dependable on the defensive end by minimizing mistakes and keeping up with rotations — areas Billups critiqued about Sharpe’s performance last Saturday in Portland’s 119-98 loss to the Miami Heat.

“Locked in means to me we all know the coverages that we’re in, what your responsibilities are in those coverages, and just being on point with that,” Billups said Sunday. “Sometimes you can be one or two steps slow, and that throws everybody off.”

Sharpe’s defensive improvement contributed to a revamped group effort on that end. In the five-game losing streak leading up to the Chicago matchup, the Blazers had given up 122.2 points per game while opponents shot 42.6% from 3-point range. That slippage was why Billups said the bench demotion for Sharpe also acted as a team-wide challenge to shore up the defense. Against Chicago, Portland surrendered less than 105 points for just the seventh time this season. The Blazers also held the Bulls to 27.6% shooting from 3-point range as players fought to contest shots and made multiple efforts per possession.

Speaking with reporters after the game, Sharpe confirmed Billups’ pregame remarks that he understood the lineup change and was receptive to the constructive criticism. He appeared comfortable discussing the topic, and he took accountability for his play by touching on what he needs to improve to fix his defensive issues.

“For me, sometimes it’s a lack of focus,” Sharpe said. “I feel like my ability to guard is there, I just got to lock in and focus.”

Along with postgame praise from Billups, Sharpe’s teammates commended his response to the situation. Both Scoot Henderson and Deni Avdija highlighted Sharpe’s positive attitude and play.

“He didn’t try to put anybody down with his energy,” said Henderson, who produced a team-high 25 points and eight assists as he returned to the starting lineup. “He came out with great energy and even more talkative.”

“Shaedon did a great job of being responsible, coming in, making plays,” added Avdija, who registered 20 points and 12 rebounds in his first action after a three-game absence.

After the win, Billups said he wasn’t sure if he’d keep Sharpe in a bench role moving forward. This latest decision by Billups regarding Sharpe’s development seemed to follow a trend this season of the coach demanding more from the 2023 lottery pick, in large part because he believes in Sharpe’s talent. Whether it’s been urging Sharpe to take more initiative on offense or give more on defense, Billups is pushing him because he sees the star potential.

“Shaedon’s going to be a star in this league, I want him to be able to play on both sides of the ball like the Jaylen Browns and Anthony Edwards because he’s able to do it,” Billups said before Sunday’s game. “So Shae will be fine, but this is that moment. This is how we get there.”