Avid observers of NBA hoops — particularly over the 2024-25 season’s second half — know that few teams fit the label of an “on-the-rise team” quite like the Portland Trail Blazers. And, so long as No. 17 is roaming the Moda Center’s floors, one can be rest assured that such phrases will always be true in more ways than one. Threatening “Dunk of the Year” potential any time his multicolored sneakers leave Earth, Sharpe again hustles into something memorable, racing from the floor’s weak side for a ferocious putback of his teammate’s misfired 3-pointer. Owning a 4-0 record and the league’s No. 1 defensive rating over the prior week wasn’t enough to take down the defending-champion Boston Celtics on March 23, 2025, but it was a showcase nonetheless for the third-year star. Red-hot during the post-All-Star break stretch, Sharpe closed with 23 points (on 9-of-16 shooting), six rebounds, four assists, one steal, and three 3-pointers. · Mar 23, 2025