Counter-report: Shaedon Sharpe has conducted strong group workouts

Shaedon Sharpe – who enrolled but chose not to play at Kentucky last season – has reportedly underwhelmed in pre-draft workouts.

Maybe that’s not accounting for degree of difficulty, though.

Shams Charania of The Athletic:

Sharpe is a projected high lottery pick, and sources say he has conducted strong group workouts such as three-on-three scrimmages to showcase his ability for teams who have not seen him play organized basketball over the past year or two. Instead of conducting individual workouts, Sharpe sought the competition, working out for teams between the draft ranges of Nos. 1-13.

This sounds more like explaining/excusing Sharpe’s lackluster workouts rather than denying them. At one point, Sharpe looked like a possible top-five pick. If his range now extends as low as No. 13, that’d be somewhat disappointing.

Sharpe popped on video before enrolling at Kentucky with his athleticism, shooting and ball-handling moves. But sitting out a season raises questions about his development.

Workouts will disproportionately affect his draft stock. A desire to compete rather than work out individually reflects well on Sharpe. But he must follow through with actual quality play in those 3-on-3 scrimmages.