We should make Sharpe GM to see if he has a killer instinct. If he trades Grant, then that means he wants to shoot more and has a killer instinct. That would be the best possible thing any GM could do, in my opinion, short of building a time machine and not giving him that massive contract.
No one is "denigrating" Shaeden. We're just analyzing his mentality. A legit discussion. He could be one of those guys who has so much natural talent that the need for Mamba isn't there. That's OK. That's most players. But the Best have some version of it. We hope he has it. Just haven't seen it yet. I do love that he's not a ball hog and is a good team player.
i see Sharpe making the right basketball play 8 times out of 10. Also another consideration... he is currently leading the league in minutes. Kid is exhausted and can't exploit every single matchup he faces every possession. I think Chauncey's frustrations are unwarranted.
I'm not sure my numbers track out that high, but he's had a great start. Funny the complaints for the first 82 games plus the very start of the season was that he wasn't playing enough and now he's playing too much. Can't win!
I thought you were implying him playing too many minutes were the cause of his inability to attack on the plays drawn up for him. I apologize if I read it wrong. He's having a great start to the season, he's succeeded my expectations, even if I don't think he's displayed the willingness to be the #1 option in close games.
People forget, both Dame and Kobe deferred early in their careers. Dame with LMA and Kobe with Shaq despite both of them being far superior players, and older than Sharpe is now. The truth is we simply don't know yet. He sure seemed to have it last year when there was no one to defer to and we've seen hints of it this season. Just as we did with Dame and Kobe. It wasn't something either one really showed super early. Jordan did though, but he's the GOAT so...
I'd push back on Dame deffering in big moments early in his career. He took a handful in his rookie year alone. And even if Sharpe isn't THAT type of player, it's ok.
Dame deferred a ton and was given the keys to the team as a Rookie, he was an extremely good ballhandler who could easily create. I haven't seen Sharpe pass up open shots, I've seen him pass often to Grant calling for it. I'd say Dame definitely deferred to LMA in many, many games. Dame also had way more time on the floor (Sharpe is only hitting Dame's first 3rd of his rookie season in total minutes) with the ball in his hands along with an excellent handle. I know Dame hit some game winners in his rookie year, but Dame is also an all time great with game winners, arguably the GOAT of that particular skill, he's certainly top 3-5 all time. Sharpe can be a Superstar and a closer without being Dame level of clutch. I don't agree with the idea that we know for certain Sharpe has no killer instinct. I think we will know by the end of this season or next at the absolute latest.
Crazy to think that when Lillard was 20 years old he was a sophomore in Ogden, Utah playing for a Big Sky school and no one outside of Weber State fans knew a damn thing about him. Sharpe at 20 is averaging 20, in the league with the big boys.
Comparing deffering to an all-star in his prime (LMA) to a #3 option type player (Grant) isn't really an apples to apples comparison. We agree Dame in top tier when it comes to game-winner shots. I also agree with you that we don't know for certain Sharpe has no killer instinct or if he doesn't, that he won't develop one. If I had to guess though, he's a #2 option type of guy.
You guys are interpreting what I’m saying differently than what I mean. Yes, Dame took a back seat to LMA in the offense as a whole, but when the game was on the line who took the last shot? Dame had a number of game winners in his first, second, and third seasons in the league and this is what I’m talking about. When the Blazers were in the middle of that insane drought where the grizzlies were going 26-2 or whatever it was, Dame would have wanted the ball. Kobe would have wanted the ball. Roy would have wanted the ball. Does Shaedon have that? I think that Shae will end up being the better player overall, but I have a feeling that Scoot might end up being that dude that wants the ball. Just a feeling, based on their personalities.
Who was the veteran that was trying to take shots away from Dame, Kobe, or Jordan? You could argue Shaq with Kobe, but not really... Sharpe has Brogdon, Grant, and Simons, all who want to bring the ball up the court and have the ball in their hands the whole possession.
The Lakers were waaaaaay more stacked than our crappy roster. So was the Blazers when Dame got here. But again, I’m talking about at the end of games.
I didn't see Dame deferring to Aldridge... He created a ton for Aldridge. Getting Aldridge the ball in the post isn't "deferring to Aldridge". That's playing team basketball. It makes it easier for Dame (and the rest of the team) to get buckets. Same as getting the ball to Shaq wouldn't be Kobe deferring to Shaq. If you aren't getting the ball to those guys at the basket then you are not playing good basketball. I don't think anybody is asking for Sharpe to play bad basketball. *Edit* added (and the rest of the team)
That's kind of my point. We have comparably "crappy" players in Brogdon, Grant, and Simons demanding the ball at the end of games. Either the coach needs to get those guys in line or we have to figure something else out. End of game situations should probably be Scoot, Sharpe, and Ayton (not necessarily taking the shot, but the plays should run through them). Every now and then Simons. However, if we can get Grant hitting some game winners maybe that will up his trade value? Maybe the same with Brogdon and Simons?
I agree 100%. People shun the Kobe comparison because they remember the 5 rings but forget he averaged like 8ppg off the bench as a rookie. I think he’s shown all the potential to be Kobe the player so far, without signs he’s developing into Kobe the teammate, which is great.
