Walter Sharpe played sparingly in the first game (only 16 minutes) as he came off the bench, but got the start in game two where he saw 25 minutes. In both games he showed an impressive array of skills for a forward. He is a freak athlete, who runs the floor like a guard and has a quick second jump, allowing him to keep the ball alive after his own miss.
Sharpe showed a couple of very good post moves, including a few drop steps that ended with thunderous dunks, showing footwork, elusiveness, and athleticism that is nearly un-guardable at this level. He doesnt really have a very polished face-up game, though, and the times that he tried to put the ball on the ground didnt work out to well for him, as he would think too much, over-dribble, and turn the ball over. He clearly has quite a bit of raw talent here, but was unable to translate that into real production in the games we saw.
Sharpes defensive flaws were very evident this week. He was constantly pushed around in the paint by opposing power forwards, exposing a softer side to his game. When guards penetrated, the slightest contact shoved Sharpe under the basket and out of the play, clearly showing a need to add weight and toughness as well. His rebounding was also non-existent, grabbing seven rebounds in two games, none of which were in traffic.
There are many questions regarding how Sharpes talent will translate to the NBA at this point in time. Defensively, we had a hard time figuring out what position he would be able to defend, as hes not fundamentally sound enough to guard 3s, and certainly not strong enough to guard 4s. Offensively, he has a world of potential, but he lacks a go-to move and his perimeter skills are surely not at an NBA level yet. Sharpe clearly has all kinds of potential, but does not look anywhere close to contributing to the Pistons in the near future. Struggling to get playing time here and really not standing out with his production is probably not a great sign
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