Day’Ron Sharpe enjoyed a career night in the Nets’ 129-121 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday at Barclays Center, finishing with 25 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 31 minutes.
Sharpe got his first start of the season and the 13th of his career on Wednesday in place of Nic Claxton, who served a one-game suspension for excessive technical fouls. The fourth-year center missed the first 20 games of the season because of a hamstring strain and has averaged 8.7 points and 6.6 rebounds across 36 games since.
However, after a dominant performance against the Thunder, Sharpe joined San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama as the only players to post at least 25 points, 15 rebounds, multiple steals, multiple blocks and multiple 3-pointers made in a game this season.
“He was amazing and I’m sure that even though we didn’t win the game, everybody’s happy for him because he’s worked hard, and now he saw this opportunity, and he took advantage of it,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said.
Sharpe started 8-for-8 before missing two shots in the fourth quarter. He went 2-for-3 from deep, showcasing his improved range, and his mobility and conditioning appear to be in a different stratosphere compared to when he first entered the league in 2021-22.
Sharpe’s fitness was a concern earlier in his career, but his confidence was never questioned. Now he’s proving what he’s capable of in extended minutes. Over his last 15 games, he’s averaging 20.6 points and 14 rebounds (6.5 offensive) per 36 minutes while shooting 63% from the field, 67% from deep and 82% from the free throw line.
“Day’Ron’s a beast,” Ziaire Williams said. “He’s a double-double machine. He works really hard, man. Weight room, court. He’s just a great guy to be around. A great locker room guy. Always making guys laugh and smile. So definitely proud of him. This is just the start.”
The Nets are outscoring opponents by 14.4 points per 100 possessions with Sharpe on the court. He’s also leading the league in offensive rebounding percentage among players who average at least 15 minutes per game.
And if you ask Sharpe, he’ll tell you this is who he’s always been.
“Jordi [Fernandez], Steve [Hetzel], [Deividas] Dulkys, Juwan [Howard] just give me confidence,” Sharpe told reporters after Wednesday’s game. “They’re not really and not really the type of coaches who tell you not to do this, not to do that, or you’re coming out… So just having my coaches have confidence in me, my teammates have confidence in me. They always tell me ‘Day, go, you got this. We’ve seen you do this.’ So, I just feel like it’s just the atmosphere.”
Sharpe is proving he can be a quality center in the NBA. Perhaps even a starter. However, the Nets gave Claxton a four-year, $100 million extension last summer, and Sharpe is set to enter restricted free agency this summer.
Fernandez told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s game that he has no interest in playing two bigs. Yes, iron sharpens iron. But if Sharpe wants to take another leap in his development, he can’t share center minutes with Claxton forever.
“Maybe I can do it here and there, which I believe I’ve done. I don’t remember what game, but they played together for a little bit in one game,” Fernandez said. “But right now, they have to be working together, tag team.”
No matter how contract negotiations between Sharpe and the Nets play out this summer, the 23-year-old plans to continue his ascension regardless, whether it’s in Brooklyn or somewhere else.
“I’m just here to hoop,” Sharpe said. “So, wherever that might be, I’m still going to do my job.”