In an interview with Charlie Cummings of Swish Theory, Day’Ron Sharpe talks about where he has improved and where he’d like to.
There’s been so much talk about Cam Thomas’ free agency, Day’Ron Sharpe’s contract status hasn’t gotten much attention. Like CamT, he was taken late in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft and like his hot shooting teammate, he’s been on a slow but steady path. Now, after a year where his improvement has gotten notice, he believes he’s ready for the next steps.
In an interview with Charlie Cummings of Swish Theory, out this weekend, he spoke about where he thinks he — and the league — are headed: positionless basketball, but with a specialty, in his case rebounding.
“Nowadays, 1 through 5, small-ball, everybody’s shooting threes, everybody can drive on a closeout. Eventually, it’s going to be to a point where it’s going to be completely positionless,” he told Cummings. “It’s going to be all about who got that ‘dawg,’ who got that mentality, who don’t wanna give up. That’s how I see it going, so I just want to be able to be versatile in all aspects.”
Indeed, last year, he showed improvement particularly in shooting. As Cummings notes,
Sharpe upped his free throw percentage nearly 20 points to 79%. That qualifies him as an solid free throw shooter in the NBA.
He posted the most points and assists per game of his career. His free-throw percentage also jumped nearly 20 points to 79%
He took more midrange shots and upped his percentage from 37% to 44%. Sharpe tripled his three-point attempts and increased his percentage as well, from 25% to 28% Most importantly, his assist percentage and assist-to-usage rate went up with his increase in usage rate.
Brooklyn was 6.6 points per 100 possessions better on offense with Sharpe on the floor.
Most of all, he showed improvement in his “bread-and-butter skill,” offensive rebounding.
“Offensive rebounding — that’s always gonna be my thing, that’s my bread-and-butter,” Sharpe said. “Being the strongest is going to help me do that. I’m trying to get to a point where it don’t matter who’s on that court, I’m moving you and I’m gonna get that board.”
Indeed, he was second in the NCAA in rebounding percentage as a freshman when the Nets picked him at No. 29 and he’s kept improving. Again, Cummings:
When Day’Ron is on the floor, Brooklyn’s offensive rebounding rate increases by 10.8%. That’s the highest on/off OREB% mark of any player in the league. His offensive rebounding rate of 15.4% was a 98th percentile mark in the league. He brings it all: hustle, positioning skill, physicality, and jump timing.
Cummings also points to areas of needed improvement including finishing around the rim. Sharpe, he wrote, still hasn’t gotten much above 60% — the 28th percentile for NBA bigs — but part of that could be his relentless work on the offensive glass. More tip-ins means more attempts, more misses.
Sharpe didn’t talk about his contract, which Keith Smith of Spotrac thinks will be in the three-year, $30 million range. He did talk about overall goals.
“I’m just trying to get my years in and win,” Sharpe said. “I’d always been a winner in my career before I got to college, so I just want to have an overall skill-set [and] game. The way the league is going nowadays, it’s not just really a wing or a guard or a big.”
The 6’9” big also spoke about how he wants to get stronger to help his offensive rebounding and broaden his overall game.
“I just want to do whatever we can to help the team. If it’s talking to the next person, then I can do that. If it’s bringing energy, I can do that. If it’s ‘go and grab every offensive rebound,’ I can do that. If it’s ‘go and drop 20,’ I can do that.”
Nets fans would like to see what they saw last February. Starting for the suspended Nic Claxton, he put up 25/15/5/2/3 on 8-of-10 shooting, including two 3-pointers, and 7-of-7 from the line. That would seem ambitious, but Sharpe has gotten better already. There’s reason to be optimistic.
- Finding a Role: Day’Ron Sharpe – Charlie Cummings – Swish Theory
- Nets Big Day’Ron Sharpe Discusses Points of Improvement – Wilko Martinez Cachero – Sports Illustrated