Shaedon Sharpe’s time in Lexington may be short-lived.  

As reported by ESPN, Sharpe, the former No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class, will be eligible for the 2022 NBA draft as an early-entry candidate. 

Sharpe, who began the school year at Dream City Christian School in Phoenix, enrolled in classes early at Kentucky, arriving to UK’s campus in the beginning of January.  

While he is eligible to play games for Kentucky, the 18-year-old is yet to make his debut for the Wildcats.  

UK head coach John Calipari has stated on multiple occasions that if he and the coaching staff feel that Sharpe is ready to play collegiate basketball and contribute to the team, that he will play, but that Sharpe seeing the court is currently not in the cards.  

Sharpe will turn 19 on May 30, meeting the age requirement necessary to enter the NBA draft, as well as being one NBA season removed from graduating high school. 

Currently rated as the No. 6 prospect in the 2022 draft by ESPN, Sharpe’s skillset and talent does not appear to need to be validated by what he can do in a Kentucky uniform.  

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard will remain a prominent talking point for Calipari and his staff as Kentucky traverses through SEC play.  

Sharpe has not yet made it clear whether he will enter the 2022 NBA draft. If he does not see the floor for Kentucky this season, it is possible he may wait until 2023 so he can garner some college basketball experience in Lexington.