Nets forward Day’Ron Sharpe missed Wednesday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Center because of a right knee sprain. Brooklyn’s medical staff is still assessing the severity of his injury, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez.
“We’ll let you guys know,” Fernandez said.
Sharpe has averaged 7.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 50 appearances while shooting 52.1% from the field. His best performance came in his first start of the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 26, where he finished with a career-high 25 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks in 31 minutes.
However, the 23-year-old has reached double figures in scoring just once since that outburst, as he scored 10 points off the bench in Monday’s home loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He did haul in a season-high 16 rebounds against the Boston Celtics on March 15.
Sharpe is shooting just 2-for-10 from 3-point range after going 2-for-3 from deep in his career night against the Thunder. He’s shooting just 24.4% from behind the arc overall this season. But Fernandez said the center has earned the right to take that shot — and will continue to encourage him to expand his range.
“Day’Ron, he’s a good shooter,” Fernandez said. “He’s shown it in everything we track and practice and the system that we have going on. Obviously, you guys cannot see it, but the numbers are there. So, he qualifies to shoot, shoot when he’s open, catch-and-shoot.
“In the beginning, he was not comfortable because it felt like he was rushing a lot because all his shots were short, but he did a great job adjusting it. If you guys look at the numbers, I’m not going to tell you because you can look at it, but if you look at the numbers after the Utah game until now, those numbers are very good. He’s put his work in, the ball has been going in. That’s just the result of work and being a good shooter.”
RISING CAP
NBA teams were notified on Tuesday that the salary cap in 2025-26 is expected to increase 10% from last season, according to ESPN. This season’s salary cap is $140.6 million. It’s expected to increase to $154.6 million, with the luxury tax set at $187.9 million. The first apron is expected to be set at $195.9 million and the second apron is expected to be set at $207.8 million.
SCHEDULE UPDATES
Because of conflicts with the Yankees, five upcoming Nets games will air on New York 55 instead of YES Network: Thursday, April 3 vs. Minnesota, Sunday, April 6 vs. Toronto, Tuesday, April 8 vs. New Orleans, Friday, April 11 vs. at Minnesota, Sunday, April 13 vs. Knicks.
