Day’Ron Sharpe’s efforts not lost on Nets

Reserve center a bright spot in rebuilding process

January 8, 2025 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Reserve center Day'Ron Sharpe is scoring more and rebounding as well as he ever has during Brooklyn's rebuilding season. AP Photo by Kevin Kolczynski

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Day’Ron Sharpe isn’t letting a massive rebuilding project in Brooklyn affect his ever-improving game.

In fact, the 6-foot-9, fourth-year reserve center is blossoming rather than bowing to the opposition during the Nets’ worst stretch of the year.

“I got a lot of pride in my offensive rebounding. I call that my bread-and-butter,” Sharpe noted after his best performance of the season Monday against visiting Indiana.

After missing the first five weeks of the campaign while recovering from a left hamstring injury, Sharpe has played some of the most impactful ball of his career since rejoining the struggling Nets (13-23) on Dec. 2.

He is averaging a career-best 7.3 points to go with 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in his first 15 games back with the team that selected him 29th overall in 2021 out of North Carolina.

Unfortunately, Brooklyn has only managed four wins during that stretch, dropping off precipitously since a 9-10 start had Nets fans hoping this would be a rebuild on the fly.

Sharpe is one of the few players that is soaring as the season hits the skids.

In January, he has put up an eye-popping 9.5 points and 8.0 boards in four games, including a 16-point, 13-rebound, five-assist effort vs. the Pacers in Monday’s 113-99 loss at Barclays Center.

Sharpe led the Nets in all three triple-double categories, and outrebounded Indiana off the offensive glass all by himself, 9-5.

“Impressive. His effort, second, third, fourth on the glass. That’s his superpower,” gushed first-year Brooklyn coach Jordi Fernández.

“That’s what we need. For him to bring that every game.”

Sharpe logged 22 minutes Monday and is averaging a career-high 16.7 this year due to the Nets’ long list of injuries and the recent trades of key veteran pieces like Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith.

It’s also because he’s one of Fernández’s most relentless competitors regardless of the deficit, lead or whomever he opposes in the paint.

“You better box me out. Anybody. You 7-foot-4, you 7-foot-5, it don’t matter, you better box me out,” Sharpe insisted. “I feel like I can do it against anybody, no matter how much you weigh or how tall you are.”

The Nets are feeding off Day’Ron Sharpe’s energy and defensive tenacity, according to rookie coach Jordi Fernández. AP Photo by Kevin Kolczynski

Fernández, who has chided the Nets for their lack of energy and focus several times during this funk, has continually praised Sharpe’s ability to always bring both of those traits to the hardwood.

“Constant work, every day. He’s a very likeable guy that always brings energy. That is very good for the group,” he said. “He played over 22 minutes.

“That’s a good step for him. Also, him doing that makes us better. I’m very happy for him. … This was his best game.”

Starting Nets center Nic Claxton, inked to a four-year, $100 million pact last summer as a foundation piece of his renovation project, couldn’t say the same following Monday’s loss.

The 6-foot-11 pivotman only managed four points on 2-of-10 shooting to go with seven boards, three assists, a block and two steals in 26 minutes against the Pacers.

Having missed eight games due to back issues this year, Claxton is averaging 9.7 points and 5.7 caroms per night, down from the 11.8 and 9.9 he put up last season en route to his big deal.

Regardless of the numbers, Fernández has remained in Claxton’s corner.

He began his tenure in Brooklyn by declaring that he thought the former second-round pick out of Georgia in 2019 could be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

“I think his effort was there. He was connected with his teammates,” Fernández said of Claxton Monday. “He acted like a veteran on the bench and on the court.

“At the point of the season where his body is right now, everything is positive. The reality is, the shots didn’t go in. As long as his leadership is there, that’s the Nic that I want.”

Brooklyn will be out to avoid its third straight loss and sixth in seven games Wednesday when Detroit (18-18) visits Barclays.

The Pistons, who went an NBA-worst 14-68 last season, have won a season-high four in a row and seven of eight overall to climb to .500 after New Year’s Day for the first time since 2018.

Cade Cunningham poured in 32 points and Tim Hardaway Jr., added 26 for Detroit in Monday’s 118-115 victory over visiting Portland.

Detroit rolled to a 106-92 win here on Nov. 3 behind 13 points and 17 rebounds from Jalen Duren.

The Nets will be without their top-two scorers, Cam Thomas (hamstring) and Cam Johnson (ankle), on Wednesday.

Also, newly re-acquired point guard D’Angelo Russell (shin) will remain sidelined and Ben Simmons (calf/back) is listed as questionable vs. Detroit.

Nic Claxton hopes to overcome a rough shooting night against Indiana when the Nets host Detroit at Downtown’s Barclays Center Wednesday. AP Photo by Frank Franklin II

NOTHING BUT NET: The Nets played an important role in Detroit’s NBA-record 28-game losing streak last season, beating them in back-to-back contests from Dec. 23-26, 2023 to help the Pistons to their 26th and 27th defeats on that historic slide. … Brooklyn will embark on a season-high six-game West Coast swing following its game with the Pistons. The Nets will be in Denver on Friday, Utah Sunday, Portland Tuesday, in Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Jan. 15, the Lakers on the 17th and finish up in Oklahoma City on the 19th. They will return to Barclays on Jan. 21 to open a four-game homestand vs. the East River rival New York Knicks.