Egor Dëmin delivered the moments everyone will remember most Wednesday night. The late 3-pointer to force overtime. The flurry that followed. The calm that never wavered when the game tilted.
But what made those moments possible won’t be the focus of the highlights.
That was Day’Ron Sharpe.
The rebound that kept the season’s most dramatic possession alive. The kick out that found Dëmin’s hands instead of a Magic jersey. The jump ball win in overtime that immediately turned into another Nets lead, though they went on to suffer a hard-fought 104-103 loss. The screens, the box-outs, the physicality that never shows up on the stat sheet but keeps games from slipping away.
Everybody remembers the shots. The work that made it possible is easier to miss.
“Yeah, he’s been fighting,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “Played really hard, helped us make winning plays. Everybody remembers the shot, but that rebound for the kick out was amazing. So, also proud of him, and I think his minutes have been valuable and his growth has been out there, so I’m very happy to see that.”
Sharpe has made a habit of that kind of impact lately. Thrust into the starting lineup for three straight games in place of Nic Claxton, he’s quietly put together one of the most productive stretches of his career. Over those three starts, Sharpe has averaged 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.0 blocks while shooting 56% from the field in 30.7 minutes per game.
While those numbers are solid, the way they’re being earned is more telling.
Sharpe isn’t hunting shots. He’s hunting contact. He’s sealing space. He’s moving bodies, setting screens that free shooters and chasing loose balls like the possession depends on it. Because most nights, it does.
Dëmin knew it as soon as the clock hit zero.
“Man, honestly… I hit some shots, Mike hit some shots, everybody hit something, but if Day’Ron didn’t do what he did, I wouldn’t have gotten any of those shots because I got two of them from his hustle play,” Dëmin said. “And I think sometimes that’s even more important than being able to score the ball. I think to have that mentality and that hunger as he has and really being able to sacrifice his body, and his effort awards his teammates and I’m really proud of him. I think his impact on the game [Wednesday] was, probably for me, was No. 1 for us.”
That’s high praise coming from the kid who made the shots. It’s also the kind of respect that’s earned, not given.
Sharpe’s role doesn’t come with a green light or a play call drawn up in his name. It comes with responsibility. Be early. Be physical. Be unselfish. Do the things that don’t get applause until they’re missing.
Players like Dennis Rodman and Charles Oakley built entire careers on that understanding. They didn’t need to score to dominate games. They bent them through effort, toughness and a refusal to be moved. Sharpe isn’t pretending to be either one, but his path is similar. Control what you can. Outwork whoever’s in front of you. Let the stars handle the rest.
“He’s a difference maker, for sure,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “He made big plays throughout the entirety of the game. I thought the [basket interference] call on him was ridiculous because he got pushed going for the rebound, but man, Day Day played so hard and he gave us a chance to win with that rebound and that kick out to Egor. So, I’m just grateful to be teammates with these guys, and even if he didn’t have a big scoring night, he continued to make big plays down the stretch.”
That’s the point. Sharpe doesn’t need a big scoring night to tilt the floor. His impact stacks up in smaller increments. A deflection here. A screen there. An extra possession that turns into three points instead of a defensive rebound for the other team.
Over time, those add up.
They also tend to get paid.
Sharpe is currently on a two-year, $12.5 million deal, a number that looks increasingly modest the more nights like Wednesday pile up. Big men who defend, rebound, pass and play with force don’t stay undervalued forever. If Sharpe keeps producing this way, whether in Brooklyn or somewhere else, his next contract will reflect it.
For now, the Nets are seeing the benefits. Claxton will reclaim his role. Minutes will be shared. But Sharpe has made it clear he isn’t just filling space. He’s shaping games.
And the next time Dëmin or another Net hits a big shot, there’s a good chance the play that mattered most happened just before it.
