Shaedon Sharpe is making Portland history that even Damian Lillard hasn’t made

The Portland Trail Blazers may be at the center of the biggest gambling scandal the NBA has ever seen, but make no mistake, their young core is improving quickly. One of the most prominent members of that mentioned nucleus is Sheddon Sharpseventh overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft Sharpe is best known for his incredible athletic feats, but he’s been quietly expanding his game — emerging as a more dangerous all-around scorer with each season.

In fact, Sharpe recorded a feat that not even the Blazers legend and GOAT could claim. Damian Lillard reached. According to the official Blazers account on X (formerly Twitter), Sharp became the youngest player in franchise history to make 1,000 field goals, at 22 years, 151 days.

Of course, Lillard made his NBA debut when he was already 22 years old, as he was an older rookie after spending four years at Weber State. Now, Lillard’s decision to stay all four years in college has paid off, as he was already a polished product when he reached the league, and was already a 19-point scorer in his rookie campaign.

Lillard reached 1,000 career field goals faster than Sharpe, and it only took him two seasons to do so. (Sharp is in his fourth season as a pro.) It took a long time for Sharp to establish himself as an undisputed starter and a big part of the Blazers’ offense, but now it’s all systems go for the young high-flyer, especially when The Blazers signed him to a big contract extension before the start of a new campaign.

The 2025-26 season hasn’t been smooth sailing for Sharp so far; he’s shooting 28.8 percent from the field through his first four games of the season, though that suggests there’s nowhere for him to go but up.

The Blazers are looking to deliver a winning campaign in 2025-26

The Blazers have built such an incredible defensive core, with Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara and Danny Awdia forming an impressive defensive backbone. Portland needs help on offense, though Avdi’s breakout year and Holliday’s rebounding campaign would be of great help. Lillard’s eventual return next season would also go a long way in taking this Portland team to the next level.

Right now, the Blazers are in control of their Monday night contest against the Los Angeles Lakers, leading 89-77 after three quarters.