Nets' Day’Ron Sharpe Talks Development Following Season-Ending Injury

Brooklyn Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe has seen tremendous growth this season. He even said it himself.

He's looked a lot more agile and displayed much improved footwork in the post, helping him maximize his paint touches inside.

Sharpe has also been able to use his lumbering frame to blow up passing lanes and guard multiple positions, blending in well with Nets coach Jordi Fernández's switch-heavy defensive schemes.

The North Carolina product has developed a reputation for becoming one of the best backup big men in the league, providing efficient, well-rounded value despite playing fewer than 20 minutes per game. However, he believes there is more room for him to grow.

"Just my body in general," Sharpe said when discussing where he wants to grow his game. "Because I want to be more explosive midseason. My 3-pointer, I believe I can shoot the ball great. Keeping my confidence in that area and just being more comfortable with the ball in my hands. The style of basketball we play, we run a lot of DHOs, split game. So, just being more comfortable with the basketball in my hands, so I can make better decisions when I have the basketball in my hands."

In addition to growing on the court, Sharpe has also developed more into a leader off it, becoming a trusted voice for the Nets' five rookies.

Sharpe, unfortunately, had his season cut due to a torn UCL in his right thumb. However, he didn't let that or other injuries stop him from making other improvements in his game.

“I’ll say that just because you’re hurt doesn’t mean it’s trying to feel sorry for yourself," Sharpe said. "When I hurt my wrist, I was just doing left-hand dribbling, left-hand layups, left-hand dunks. Everything, just left hand. So like, in my head, I’m getting better. Even though I can’t use my right hand, I’m still getting better.”

Sharpe will almost certainly never be mistaken for Nikola Jokić or Joel Embiid out there, but if he can at least refine some of the attributes that make both former MVPs great, there's no reason why he couldn't carve out a more sizable role within Fernández's rotation.

Teams in the modern NBA should have at least one big man who can stretch defenses out to the 3-point line, guard multiple positions, and wreak havoc in the passing lanes. Sharpe checks a lot of those boxes.