90 million in 4 years? 22-year-old Shedensharp, what is his current level?

The latest report from famous reporter Jake Fischer is that the Trail Blazers have provided team guard Shaiden Sharp with a four-year, $90 million early contract extension. It is reported that this contract is the Trail Blazers' initial offer.

Jake Fischer revealed that it is not yet clear what Sharp's attitude is, but most relevant people believe that this wing player with excellent jumping will eventually get a contract similar to Josh Gidi (4 years and 100 million), or even higher.

Sharp is the No. 7 pick in the first round of the 2022 class. He is 1.96 meters tall, has excellent athletic ability, and serves as a shooting guard. His draft pick is higher than Daniels, Jaywe, Jaylen Duren and others.

Like all rookies in the 2022 class, Sharp is also eligible to renew his contract in advance this offseason. However, judging from the news, the negotiations between the two parties do not seem to be going very smoothly, and there is even little news.

Then the question is, what is the current level of Sharp?

Here, let’s start with Sharp’s growth environment. When he was selected in 2022, it happened that the team had just sent away McCollum the previous season, but the competition for defenders was still huge, starting with Lillard (averaging 32.2 points per game that season, the strongest season of his career), and then Anfernee Simons (who had just signed a 4-year, 100 million contract extension in that offseason).

Although Sharp was a high pick, he could only start from the bench in his rookie year. He played in a total of 80 games and 65 games as a substitute. He averaged 22.2 minutes per game, 9.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists. His three shooting percentages were 47.2%/36.0%/71.4%, and his true shooting percentage was 56.8%.

In the sophomore season, the Trail Blazers lineup underwent drastic changes. Lillard was sent to the Bucks, and the team completely entered into reconstruction. This should have been an excellent opportunity for Sharp to show off his skills. However, due to core muscle and lower abdominal strain, Sharp only played 32 games this year and was reimbursed for the season.

Fortunately, Sharp's performance has made great progress in the games he played. In 32 games, 25 starts, he averaged 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 33.1 minutes per game. However, his efficiency dropped, with three shooting percentages of 40.6%/33.3%/82.4% and a true shooting percentage of 52.4%.

Then came last season. Sharp's performance improved again. He played in 72 games, averaging 31.3 minutes per game, scoring 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists. His three shooting percentages were 45.2%/31.1%/78.5%, and his true shooting percentage was 55.8%.

It needs to be said that in the 25 games after the All-Star Game, Sharp's performance continued to improve, averaging 21.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. At the end of the season, he scored a career-high 37 points against the Jazz.

After three seasons, Sharp's advantages are actually very obvious:

1. He has a historical level of athletic ability, no exaggeration, it is really a historical level. During the physical test, he jumped 49 inches (about 1.24 meters), the first vertical jump in history. He has extremely strong running and jumping ability, so he is very good at working in the air and can often deliver Top ten ball-level dunks, top-notch transition attack ability;

2. Can finish near the mid-range. Last season, he made 103 of 227 shots from 10 feet away, with a shooting percentage of 45.3%. He is also excellent in lateral movement and has the physical hardware to become a top defender;

Of course, Sharp also has some shortcomings, and there are many:

1. The three-point shot is unstable, with a shooting percentage of only 31.1% last season. Both shooting with the ball and shooting after catching are far below the league average;

2. Organizational ability is required To improve, the ability to control mistakes is not good enough. Last season, he averaged 2.8 assists/2.1 turnovers per game, which is quite amazing;

3. He has the talent to become a top defender, but his defensive awareness is not very good. He often makes mistakes in positioning and defensive rotation. Last season, the Blazers' defense was actually very good, but Sharp's defender's shooting percentage increased by 2.6%.

A simple summary is that Sharp is very young and has top-notch physical talent. His ceiling is very high, but currently, he has problems that many young guards have. The new season will be very critical. Sharp needs to improve his shooting and defensive concentration. If he does well, it may take him to the next level.

As for the size of the contract, I personally feel that since Anfernee Simons could get 100 million in four years three years ago, it is not too much for Sharp to want a similar contract. However, judging from this summer, the market for shooting guards in the free market seems to be weakening.

In next year's offseason, the environment should be better than this year, but it's hard to say how much better it will be. There are only about 10 teams with salary space, and most teams are waiting for the summer of 2027, so settling for safety is actually an option. But if you are confident, if you perform amazingly in the new season, you may be able to earn an annual salary of 30 million.

There is one thing to say. There are really many young talents in the Trail Blazers now, including Yang Hansen. As far as the back line is concerned, in addition to Sharp, Henderson is also a key training target.

There is no direct competition between Sharp and Yang Hansen. On the contrary, the two play styles are somewhat compatible. Yang Hansen passes the ball well, and Sharp is also very good at air cutting and quick play. He may become the "Francis" and "Trac McGrady" next to Yang Hansen. I look forward to the two of them making progress together in the new season.