Day'Ron Sharpe Impresses in Nets' Preseason Opener as Starting Center

The long-time Net looked ready for action as the team's starting big man.

Sep 28, 2026; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Day'ron Sharpe (20) talks with media at Brooklyn Nets HSS Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There have been plenty of questions surrounding Brooklyn’s new starting center, but he may have begun to put those to rest in the preseason opener.

On Tuesday night, the Nets got their first taste of preseason action with a 124-90 win over the Charlotte Hornets. The road victory marked the first look at this season’s squad, which is looking to be one of the league’s surprise teams.

While the Nets’ offseason additions earned most of the headlines throughout the offseason, the promotion of Day’Ron Sharpe to starting center was also a hot topic of conversation. After the Nets sent out Nic Claxton in the Julius Randle deal on draft night, it became clear that Sharpe would soon be stepping into the starting role. 

Under Jordi Fernandez, Sharpe has been a reliable piece off the bench, and he’ll now have a chance to prove himself as a starter. That journey began on Tuesday as he started for the Nets in Charlotte and put up an impressive stat line.

He finished the game with eight points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. With the Nets also outscoring Charlotte by 19 in just under 18 minutes of action from Sharpe, his impact on the team’s success was undeniable.

Of course, there’s not too much for Brooklyn to take away from a preseason game that featured many of Charlotte’s key pieces sitting out. Still, the Nets’ dominance in their first game action of the season is quite encouraging, especially from Sharpe’s perspective.

Over the course of the year, the Nets will likely want to see a bit more from Sharpe, but if he can keep this sort of production up as his minutes increase, it’s unlikely Brooklyn will have many complaints. Given that Sharpe has been a solid backup center behind Claxton in years past, the Nets already have an idea of what they have in Sharpe, but getting an extended role could allow him to truly showcase his skillset, which the Nets got a glimpse of in Charlotte.

As the Nets continue their preseason slate, any action from Sharpe should be interesting to watch as he adjusts to his new role. With Randle and Michael Porter Jr. also joining him in the frontcourt in the starting unit, the Nets have an intriguing mix of talent to work with.

Sharpe’s ability to hold down the middle will be tested throughout the season, and despite not playing great competition to begin the preseason, the Nets’ new starting center gave them exactly what they should be hoping for in a matchup like that.