Shaedon Sharpe Scouting Report

Shaedon Sharpe, Guard, Kentucky

Basic Information:

Role: SG

Conference: SEC

Class: Freshman

Age: 19.06

Height: 6’6

Weight: 200 lbs.

Wingspan: 7’0

Strengths:

- Very young prospect who is barely over 19 years old

- Has elite size and length for a guard

- Was super productive and efficient in the EYBL in Canada

- Elite athlete who has incredible verticality

- Utilizes his vertical to make some nice blocks

- Has terrific body control in the air

- Can create space off the dribble and hit shots from the perimeter

- Can be a dangerous player in transition

- Has above-average block numbers and had some ridiculous blocks on film

Weaknesses:

- Didn’t play a single game for Kentucky this season, so the evaluation is based purely on what he did in high school

- Settles for tough shots way too often for a guy with his size and athleticism

- His free throw rate is way too low for a guy with his physical tools

- Has low assist numbers and there is very little evidence of him being a high-level passer

- Also has low steal numbers considering his size and athleticism

Statistical Profile:

*These stats are based off EYBL games*

Overview:

Shaedon Sharpe was originally a part of the 2022 class before reclassifying to the class of 2021 and joining the Kentucky Wildcats for the 2021-2022 season. The thing is, he never played a game for Kentucky. He wasn’t injured, though. He simply sat out for the entirety of the 2022 season. There are rumors going around about his eligibilty for this past season, but I will not speculate on that.

This means that his evaluation is based purely off what he did before he went to college. That makes it extremely difficult to project what he’ll be able to do at the next level, but there is a lot to like about his game.

For starters, Sharpe has elite size for a guard. He’s 6’6, weighs 200 lbs., and has a 7-foot wingspan. His length makes him very dangerous as a weakside rim protecor and their are some pretty sick blocks on his film.

I’m a big fan of his ability to get to the rim and I think he has a chance ro be a fantastic finisher in the NBA. He settles for jumpshots too often, which is why his free throw rate is so low, but he ranks in the 75th percentile amng guards in my database in my rim finishing metric. Take a look at his highlights and you’ll come away very impressed with his ability to play above the rim.

He’ll likely play off the ball a lot in the NBA, and I think he could be an excellent cutter because he understands how to move into empty space on the court and he has the finishing ability to make teams pay for letting him get behind them.

The most exciting parts of his skillset are his shotmaking and his three point shooting. He ranks top five among guards in my database in my three point shooting projection metric, which is exciting considering he’s so young and explosive. To be fair, his stats are from his EYBL games, so quality of competition should be considered. Nevertheless, he averaged around nine threes per forty minutes in 12 EYBL games and shot 36.3% from downtown with a lot of his threes coming off the dribble.

I worry that his shot may not translate because he shot just 63.4% from the free-throw line, but he shot a ton of threes pre-college and he made a lot of them despite taking a ton of difficult shots.

My biggest concern with Sharpe is that he isn’t a very good passer. He averaged just 2.8 assists per 40 minutes in the EYBL and there weren’t many moments where he made high level passes on film. There were flashes of quick decision making on the move, but nothing that makes me think he can be a heliocentric superstar.

I also worry that his perimeter defense may not be that good. He is a great shot blocker for a guard, but his steal numbers were very low for a guy with his length and athleticism. Obviously he can grow in this area, but I expected him to average more steals considering he has elite physical tools.

Shaedon Sharpe is a young prospect who displayed high level shot making and elite verticality in high school. He can hit tough off the dribble and get to the rim at will, he just needs to work on his shot selection and not settle for tough shots as much as he does. Right now he isn’t a great passer and there are red flags in terms of his perimeter defense, but I expect him to grow in these areas as he develops.

Sharpe isn’t perfect and he a lot of room for improvement, but he was extremely productive and efficient in the EYBL and he has all the traits to be an elite scorer in the NBA. If he grows as a passer and defender, he could be a star in the NBA.