Though Portland Trail Blazers rookie Shaedon Sharpe recently bowed out of this year’s Slam Dunk contest, the young guard proved exactly why he’s touted as an elite dunker during his game last night against the Washington Wizards where he aggressively dunked over Kyle Kuzma.
During the play, Sharpe received the ball and blew past Taj Gibson before hammering the ball in on Kuzma, who arrived a split-second too late to attempt a shot contest.
The clip then cuts back to his teammates who all watch in awe of the rookie’s dunk skills.
Sharpe had initially signed up for the NBA Slam Dunk contest in Utah but pulled out at the eleventh hour to focus on the second half of the Trail Blazer’s season, per Shams Charania’s tweet.
Sharpe is shooting a respectable 47.9 per cent from the field, but his splits below the rim hover just above 60 per cent, making him already league-average in his rookie season.
The 19-year-old London, Ontario native is averaging 7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game. Sharpe is also averaging 35.6 per cent from beyond the arc, making him a reliable shooter on top of being one of the league’s most explosive dunkers.
