Nets reserve center Day’Ron Sharpe missed Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Center with a left glute contusion suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Knicks. He was initially listed on the injury report with left hamstring tightness.
In his last outing at Madison Square Garden, Sharpe played just over 12 minutes, posting 10 points on perfect 3-for-3 shooting with six rebounds, a block and a steal before sitting the fourth quarter. He’s averaging 6.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 10 games this season while shooting 64.9% overall and 33.3% from deep.
The 24-year-old, who signed a two-year, $12.5 million extension in the offseason, missed 21 straight games to start the 2024-25 season with a left hamstring injury and another 10 to close the year with a right knee sprain. Head coach Jordi Fernández said he doesn’t believe Sharpe’s latest injury is as serious.
“He’s day-to-day, we’re not concerned,” Fernández said. “And we want to make sure he feels good and mentally in a good place to be ready to play. So, that’s all good news, and it’s an opportunity for the next man up… So, excited for all these guys, whether they play or not, but they all know that next-man-up mentality is always important and just go out there and play as hard as you can.”
With Sharpe sidelined, Brooklyn recalled rookie big man Danny Wolf from its G League affiliate to bolster frontcourt depth behind starting center Nic Claxton. The 6-11 forward, selected 27th overall in June’s draft, had logged just three minutes this season entering Tuesday. He impressed in his most recent G League outing, finishing with 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting, 13 rebounds and two assists in Long Island’s loss to the Capital City Go-Go on Sunday.
Wolf’s call-up reflects the organization’s broader approach to development, one focused on competing now while building for the future. Ben Saraf, selected one spot ahead of Wolf, was also recalled from the G League, while Nolan Traore, the 19th pick, remained with Long Island.
“I think people usually misunderstand what you call rebuilding,” Fernández said. “For us, it’s building winning habits; and winning starts now. And the only thing is, we know inside what it means. And being competitive is very important. And you cannot go out there and not compete and not give yourself a chance. Seeing these guys’ development is important.”
Sharpe’s absence, combined with extended minutes for an inexperienced frontcourt, only compounded one of Brooklyn’s biggest weaknesses. The Nets have allowed more points in the paint than any team in the league, an issue that continues to undermine their defensive schemes regardless of which guard-big pairings are on the floor.
Fernández said that has to change.
“There’s no negotiables here,” Fernández said. “Ball pressure and being aggressive in pick-and-roll, I think you watched the Detroit game, right? And you look at the top defenses like OKC, and all those teams are able to execute multiple coverages, but for the most part they’re at the level and they pressure the ball. So, if you don’t want to do that, you probably are not going to be able to play for the Nets, because we’re going to be aggressive. And as we grow, we’ll be able to execute multiple coverages. Right now, with our stage, we’re going to stay with the basics. But there’s no excuses for not protecting the rim. I think that all of the schemes that like I’ve mentioned — and I could give you a thousand numbers; I’m sure you guys are very good at looking at them, too — you can be able to be aggressive and also protect the rim.”
