Who will be the Portland Trail Blazers’ X-factor this season and why?

I had the pleasure of representing Blazer’s Edge on the “Locked on Blazers” podcast on Thursday night to discuss that question with Trail Blazers reporter Mike Richman. The larger premise of the question included this context: Which player, depending on how he performs, can make or break the trajectory of the team?

While he may be somewhat high on the totem pole to be considered an X-factor, my answer was the darling of the training camp news cycle: guard Shaedon Sharpe. Given his great talent but inconsistent first three seasons, I view Sharpe’s performance and growth as the swing factor in Portland’s season. The Blazers need an All-Star level talent to emerge from their group of recent lottery picks. Sharpe’s rare bl

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