Player Comparison: JR Smith/Xavier Henry

Strengths: An incredibly athletic wing who ranked as the top prospect in the 2022 recruiting class before reclassifying into the 2021 class and enrolling at Kentucky in January … An elite run/jump athlete with very good strength to play through contact and play physical … Against high schoolers showed three-level scoring ability and sound shooting mechanics … At  6’6, 210 pounds, Sharpe has a good NBA frame with potentially more growth on the way … Tremendous length with a near 7-foot wingspan … Big, strong hands give him excellent control of the ball … Versus high school kids, showed the ability to move well laterally on defense to stay in front of opposing ball-handlers and has long arms to create steals and disrupt offensive action … Shows good self-creation ability with tight handles and a step-back jumper that allows him to create a ton of separation … Has developed a patented fade to his jumper that gives him more space to get his shot away … Certainly has NBA range on his jumper that he showed during the EYBL tournament … Can seal off in the low-post and has a scoring arsenal with his back turned as well in the high post … One of the highest upside players available for this year’s draft …

Weaknesses: Focus, intensity and maturity remain mysteries … Has some incredible high school footage, but these highlight clips can be misleading as they do not include the entire picture … Hasn’t played a competitive game since the 2021 Nike EYBL, making him a huge question mark in the upcoming draft … While there’s obviously a lot to be excited about, having seen him rise to being ranked by many as the top player in high school, the fact that he hasn’t proven it against a higher level of competition, at the college or G League level, is concerning … A real leap of faith pick if taken in the top half of the lottery … Gained a reputation in high school for not always bringing a high level of intensity and effort … Still extremely young and could have a long learning curve ahead of him … Quickness is solid, but doesn’t appear to have blow by speed to get by opponents off the dribble … Reclassifying athletes have struggled with the college game but Sharpe will have to make an even larger jump to the NBA game … Lack of true competition makes it more difficult to project him as a player, not to mention what kind of team player he is … Shot selection was questionable during his time at EYBL … Three-point shot could take some time to become efficient, has the tendency to try to shoot himself out of slumps, which won’t fly without solid production in the NBA …

Outlook: Possesses immense upside but questions arose about his competitiveness and desire during his high school career … Has an extremely impressive highlight reel from his high school performances … Coach Calipari gave him the stamp of approval saying Sharpe would be the (2023) number one pick if he were to return to Kentucky next season … Has as high of a ceiling as any wing in this class with the explosiveness and talent to become a franchise player and superstar at the next level … Expectations are sure to be high assuming he is a lottery pick, so the situation that he ends up in could be a big factor in his long term success … Is he Andre Iguodala or Gerald Green? Only time will tell …

Notes: Ranked as the top prospect in 2022 class by ESPN before enrolling at Kentucky a semester early in January 2022 … Didn’t play a minute for the Wildcats before declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft … Born in London, Ontario … Attended Dream City Christian Academy in Arizona before enrolling at Kentucky … Represented the silver-medal winning Canadian U16 team at the 2019 FIBA Americas Championship … Leading scorer at 2021 Nike EYBL … Circumstances surrounding his graduating high school in 2021 remain mysterious, however he has been ruled eligible for the 2022 NBA draft …

Derek Bast 5/11/22

Notes: Measured: 6’4.25” barefoot, 6’5.25” in shoes, 8’7.5” standing reach, 198 lbs, 6’11.5” wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine …