Day’Ron Sharpe gave the Brooklyn Nets a night they’ll remember, even if the result didn’t go their way.
In Saturday’s 124-121 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Sharpe delivered the first triple-double of Brooklyn’s season and set a new single-game franchise mark for assists by a Nets big man with 13. He finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, turning in the best performance of his year while the Nets again ran into trouble late.
Brooklyn’s fourth-quarter issues showed up once more. The Hawks poured in 38 points in the final period, and the Nets were outscored by 10 in the quarter as the game slipped away.
Even with the loss, the offense had plenty going for it. Brooklyn shot 48% from the field and posted its second-highest point total of the season.
Sharpe’s play was the headline. The sixth-year big man has been trending upward as a facilitator, and the Nets have made a clear effort to get him involved in that role since the start of November. In Brooklyn’s four games this month, his assist average has jumped to seven per game.
The former North Carolina standout had already put together his best professional season last year, averaging 8.7 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 60.1% from the field. That summer, he was rewarded with a two-year, $20 million deal.
Brooklyn also reshaped the center spot this offseason, dealing longtime starter Nic Claxton to bring in former NBA All-Star Julius Randle and handing the keys to Sharpe.
What makes Sharpe so valuable on offense is how efficiently he plays. He doesn’t need a heavy dose of touches to make an impact, and his occasional 3-point shot gives head coach Jordi Fernández something the Nets haven’t had much of from the center position.
With playmakers like Egor Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr. around him, Sharpe’s efficiency should remain a strength as he keeps developing as an interior defender and a 3-point threat. So far this season, he’s also taken a step on the defensive end, averaging more than a block per game.
Brooklyn gets another chance to build on that momentum Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. First-year head coach Dusty May’s team is one of the league’s smaller groups, and its top two healthy centers, Daniel Gafford and rookie Morez Johnson Jr., are both listed at 6-foot-9.
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Nets Turnover Problem Is Putting More Than Just Wins At Risk
The early-season numbers have painted a rough picture for Brooklyn, and the turnover issue sits right at the center of it. The Nets are near the bottom of the NBA in giveaways at 18.1 per game, and the low assist totals have only made the offense look more disjointed as the losses pile up. With a 2-8 start, the margin for error has already disappeared, and every sloppy possession seems to deepen the pressure on a team trying to find any kind of rhythm.
Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. were brought in to help steady things, but the ball security concerns around the roster have become hard to ignore. When the offense is struggling to create clean looks and the bigger names are part of the problem, the conversation naturally starts to widen beyond the court. Brooklyn is already hearing from around the league on some of its larger contracts, which makes the next stretch feel less like a simple correction and more like a test of how long the front office can wait for this group to settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Frontcourt Need Could Push Them Into A Huge Sabonis Swing
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The intrigue is coming from Sacramento, where Sabonis role has reportedly shifted enough to make people around the league wonder how settled he feels in the current setup. Any deal would have to make sense for the Kings as well, and that is where the conversation gets complicated, with experienced pieces being floated as part of the framework. Nothing has been confirmed, but this is the kind of frontcourt possibility that can linger because it fits a need on one side and raises questions on the other. [Read more 🡒]
Jordi Fernandez Just Sent Noah Clowney A Clear Nets Message
Noah Clowneys night against Dallas ended almost as quickly as it started, and it left Brooklyn with a familiar kind of frustration. The Nets forward was whistled out after just 7:47, finishing with two points and no rebounds or assists in a loss that underscored how thin the margin can be for a young player trying to carve out a bigger role.
Jordi Fernandez did not sugarcoat the fouling, but he also made clear that the issue is not effort. The Nets coach pointed to Clowneys competitiveness and importance to the group, a reminder that Brooklyn still sees value in the 20-year-old even when the box score is empty. It also came on a night when Josh Minott, despite barely seeing the floor this season, flashed with 10 points in garbage time, a small but notable snapshot of the rosters depth and the opportunities waiting for someone to seize them. [Read more 🡒]