After calling Shaedon Sharpe one of the most intriguing players in the NBA a few weeks ago, ESPN’s Zach Lowe continues to take interest in the Portland Trail Blazers heading into the upcoming season.

On “The Lowe Post” podcast earlier this week, Lowe and his guest Steve Jones Jr. of “The Dunker Spot” both agreed the Blazers are full of talent and fascinating storylines regarding how their young players develop. So, despite the team’s likely finish near the bottom of the West, Lowe said he was excited to watch Portland play. He even assured listeners he wasn’t lying.

Lowe: I think there’s there’s real representative NBA talent almost up and down the full [roster], like once you get down to 12 or 13 guys on this team.

Jones: Yeah, I that that was one of the things that really spoke to me. I I think they have a lot of talent.

Lowe: . … I think this team is self-aware that they need another crack at the top of the draft and another chance to get lucky in the lottery. But there’s some real talent here. I’m legit, this is not fake. I’m legitimately excited to watch Blazers games this year because I want to see how all these mysteries get unraveled.

In the discussion about Portland’s talent, Lowe and Jones went over Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, Deandre Ayton, Jerami Grant and Donovan Clingan. They also gave brief mentions to Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Matisse Thybulle.

However, the conversation primarily focused on Sharpe. Jones echoed some of Lowe’s optimism about the athletic, 6-foot-5 guard. Both analysts see a lot of potential in Sharpe, although Lowe mentioned an interesting caveat about the 21-year-old’s motor this time.

Jones: Shaedon Sharpe is the person that I want to watch on this Portland Trail Blazer team this year. I liked some of the growth from him last year when he was on the court. You can use him on-ball, you can use him off-ball, that’s pretty easy. Can he grow off ball is where I’m most intrigued. If he’s coming off a pin down, and he’s able to change speeds, he’s able to start making reads, he gets some pick and roll. I think last year, I really liked that he was able to turn the corner and just understand — I see you drop back there, I’m gonna take my time. I’m gonna attack the space. I’m gonna go ahead and finish. I can also get to my pull-up. I can also go very fast and dunk. If he’s able to improve at making those reads and changing those speeds, I think that’s a that’s a game-changer for Portland …

Lowe: I think Shaedon Sharpe, with him, it’s a motor thing. You talk to people who were around the Blazers last season and it’s, ‘How did you get 30 yesterday? And five today, and it it didn’t even look like you cared that you got five.’ Because he has so many tools and he’s not a selfish player, he’s a decent passer. He could score from all three levels, he can really shoot. The percentages don’t show it but the catch-and-shoot percentages do. I’m very excited for Shaedon Sharpe.

Along with Sharpe, Lowe and Jones saw a lot of intrigue and mystery in how Henderson will look after an up-and-down rookie season. Looking ahead to the season, Jones said he’s zeroing in on Scoot’s pace of play and decision-making as the most tell-tale sign of his progress.

Everyone wants to talk about the shot. I just want to see can he get his tempo right? Can he change speeds appropriately and make those reads consistently and can he just avoid the urge to hit the turbo button? Because he did have 20-and-10 games last year. But at the same time, we saw the results of some of the drives, some of the shots, some of the over-penetration into the defense, some of the footwork which is — I have space and a drop, I’m thinking about a pull-up, but now I hesitate, I go, I can’t get to my floater. Those type of decisions. Can he kind of get rid of some of those and just kind of go out there and play? Because they’re gonna need him to be one of those guys that goes on that next journey with them.

As mentioned above, the podcast also touches upon talking points with other Blazers players. That includes some interesting commentary about the expectations surrounding Ayton.

You can listen to the full episode here. The portion about the Blazers began at about the 1:20:45 mark and lasted about seven minutes.