The Brooklyn Nets are at a crossroads with many players this season as they look to rebuild. There are still veterans who could be traded either this summer or before the trade deadline, but perhaps more importantly for the long-term, there are young players who may or may not have a future with these teams.
One of the most interesting players in this second category is the great Day’Ron Sharpe, who is entering the final year of his contract before becoming a restricted free agent. At the beginning of the offseason there were rumors about a trade of him.
Could Day’Ron Sharpe play a big role for the Nets next season?
Sharpe, a product of the University of North Carolina, was the Nets’ second first-round pick in the 2021 draft after selecting Cam Thomas just two picks earlier. Since entering the league, Sharpe has played the role of reserve center and became Nic Claxton’s primary backup last season.
Despite being the backup, Sharpe only averaged 15.1 minutes per game in 61 appearances, posting 6.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. Interestingly, his minutes were reduced later in the season after the Nets were eliminated from the playoffs, from a high of 17 minutes per game in December to just 13.3 minutes per game in March and 14.4 minutes per game in just 4 games in April.
One would have thought that as a young player he would get more playing time with the playoffs out of reach, but the opposite was the case, leading to speculation that he might not be a long-term fit for the roster.
Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily did an extensive film review of Day’Ron Sharpe’s skills that was very complimentary. Although Kaplan wears rose-tinted glasses, he brings up some important points. First, Sharpe is an elite rebounder, especially on offense. His offensive rebound rate of 16.3% was good enough for third in the NBA.
Second, Kaplan notices Sharpe’s improved basket sense, which is no accident. If you look at his film, you can see that he’s stronger when he fights through contact and receives the ball before charging straight up to make his shot, as opposed to the way he’s always drifted and tried to avoid contact in years past.
For players destined to play a supporting role in the NBA, it is important to their staying power to demonstrate at least one outstanding skill. Sharpe has that skill, as he rebounds great on both ends and his improving basket sense gives him a little more potential. In short, he is a rotational big man at the NBA level.
How will Sharpe fit into the Nets’ future?
This is where it gets tricky. While Sharpe is certainly a league-caliber player, it’s a big question whether he fits the Nets’ roster and the style of basketball they want to play. The Nets invested a lot of money in starter Nic Claxton, and the rest of the frontcourt is crowded given the current roster composition.
The biggest obstacle to Sharpe’s playing time is power forward/center Noah Clowney, who is in his second year. Clowney has the ability to stretch the court to play alongside Claxton at the four, as well as the size and length to play minutes as a center. The Nets are fully committed to developing Clowney as a key player for the future, so he will get his time. The question is where.
This is where the shortage of forwards becomes a problem. In addition to the experienced veterans Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, Jalen Wilson, Trendon Watford, Ziaire Williams and Bojan Bogdanovic are also fighting for playing time at the small forward and power forward positions.
Do they shift more of Clowney’s playing time to center to accommodate some of those other players, at the expense of Sharpe? And how does new head coach Jordi Fernandez view the “small-ball five” strategy? Some of those players, like Finney-Smith and Watford, can fill that role if the Nets want to play that way, further limiting Sharpe’s opportunities.
Defensively, Sharpe is also a bit awkward. The other bigs, Claxton and Clowney, are athletic, interchangeable defenders who can defend smaller players on the perimeter while also serving as basket protectors. Sharpe is not an interchangeable defender, nor is he a great basket protector. However, he is the only big on the roster with the bulk needed to keep up with talented low-post scorers like Joel Embiid who cause problems for thinner players.
It might be difficult to find out if Day’Ron Sharpe fits with the Nets
How Sharpe fits into the team going forward will depend largely on two factors. First, how they plan to use Noah Clowney, whose development is a top priority. Second, how they evaluate the differences in his game compared to the other big players on the roster. There is a good case for him being valuable as a primary backup center, but the other side of the coin is that he doesn’t have the skills to play in the system they plan to play when defensive switchability is paramount.
Ultimately, many of these playing time obstacles can be eliminated if additional trades are made and the forward logjam is alleviated. Should the Nets part ways with Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith before the season begins, Clowney and Watford will play most of the time at the 4, freeing up the backup center role for Sharpe.
In a developmental season, it makes sense not to be rigid in system labels, but to experiment and give all the talented young players a chance to see how they develop. A player like Sharpe, who already has excellent NBA skills and is only entering his 23rd season, is the type of player who deserves every opportunity to carve out a role.
