There are hidden talents in the Trail Blazers. Yang Hansen’s teammates have made the fastest progress

Shayden Sharp entered this season with the goal of cementing himself as the Trail Blazers' starting shooting guard and earning a lucrative contract extension. Sure enough, after a week of training camp, more and more rumors show that Sharp may be ready to break out.

"I think everybody knows his talent and what he can do, " Jrue Holiday said early in training camp. "That kid really knows how to play. "

"He's been 'crushing' me. He's been 'crushing' me, that's right. "

Wednesday night, Sharpe just about blew everyone away. He played 23 minutes and finished with 22 points, six rebounds and two assists, displaying the athleticism, smooth shooting and consistency that Trail Blazers fans have been craving since he was the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Sharp made an easy three-pointer, cut to the basket with precision, and completed a wonderful breakthrough with a floater and an extremely athletic layup. He doesn't even look like he's a hole on the defensive end.

As the saying goes, Rome was not built in a day, and the starting position in the NBA cannot be won by performing well in a preseason game. But if this is what Sharpe -- who shot 9-for-15 from the field and 4-for-8 from 3-point range -- has been showing up behind the scenes the past few weeks, he could be in for a remarkable season.

"We, the coaching staff and his teammates are all pushing him to achieve greatness," Billups told reporters in San Francisco on Wednesday night. "He did a great job in his minutes tonight. He seemed very composed at all times. Getting where he wanted to be. I thought defensively, he did a good job and got in and got some really good rebounds for us. I think with Shedden's physical gifts, he can be a great rebounder. He had a good game. "

Meanwhile, Jerami Grant, who competes with Sharp for the starting job, had an up-and-down night. He played 21 minutes, grabbed 5 rebounds and completed 3 steals. But among a group of shooters with hot hands, he was an obvious exception. In the end, he made 2 of 11 shots from the field, 1 of 5 three-pointers, and only scored 8 points.

"I'm just trying to do my best to help my team and do what coach asked me to do, which is play hard and really get involved on defense," Sharp told reporters in San Francisco. "So I'm really trying to focus on these things. "

(Text/Kong Yang)