Day'Ron Sharpe is making the Nets rethink what they can run through their center

C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News on Nov 13, 2026

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NEW YORK — When Michael Porter Jr. comes around Day’Ron Sharpe for a handoff, the Nets have two ways to attack. A defender caught on Sharpe’s screen can leave Porter room for a 3-pointer. Chasing Porter toward the arc can leave room for a cutter.

Sharpe decides who gets the ball.

That responsibility is becoming a bigger part of his job. Brooklyn traded Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls in July and moved Sharpe into the starting lineup. The passing gives Brooklyn another way to create shots and Sharpe a stronger case to keep that job as the roster develops.

After recording six assists in his first five games, Sharpe had 39 against 13 turnovers in his next six. The increase in playing time was modest, about 2.5 minutes a night.

Against the Atlanta Hawks last Saturday, Porter got shots at both spots. With 4:17 left in the second quarter, Sharpe found him cutting to the rim for a layup. Thirty-three seconds later, another pass set up a Porter 3-pointer. Of Porter’s eight baskets, six came off Sharpe assists: four layups and two 3s.

The attention Porter drew opened backdoor cuts, Sharpe told YES Network’s Meghan Triplett afterward. With Sharpe recognizing those openings, Brooklyn can turn the effort to deny Porter a jumper into a shot at the rim. Porter doesn’t have to touch the ball for his shooting to help create a basket.

In July, well before the starting job opened, Sharpe said he wanted to show he could be “a passing hub on DHOs, pick-and-rolls, stuff like that.”

Julius Randle benefited in the open floor in Atlanta, taking a Sharpe pass for a first-quarter dunk. By halftime, the assist total had reached eight, matching Sharpe’s career high from three nights earlier against the Charlotte Hornets.

A Mikel Brown Jr. 3-pointer with 2:13 left gave Sharpe his 13th assist, a franchise record for a center, and Brooklyn a four-point lead. Sharpe finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for his first career triple-double in the 124-121 loss.

For Brooklyn’s young guards, a reliable passer at center can change where their work begins. Brown and Nolan Traoré can give Sharpe the ball, move off him and get it back with a defender already chasing. A catch on the move lets them attack an opening without having to create it themselves off the dribble.

Egor Dëmin benefited Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans, getting a layup off a Sharpe pass and a 3-pointer on Brooklyn’s first trip of the third quarter. That 3 gave Sharpe at least five assists in four straight games.

The value is in getting that passing from the player Brooklyn also needs to rebound and protect the rim. Sharpe can ease the burden on the guards at both ends, helping them get into the offense and defending the basket behind them.

Moritz Wagner recalled at Media Day getting mad whenever Sharpe checked into a game against him.

“I knew I would struggle on the boards,” Wagner said.

Signing with Brooklyn was supposed to spare him that matchup.

“And then I’ve been competing against him every single open gym since I signed here, so that’s been fun,” Wagner said in September.

Against New Orleans, Sharpe blocked two Zion Williamson drives in 74 seconds, with the second credited after head coach Jordi Fernández successfully challenged a shooting foul. Early in the third quarter, Sharpe blocked Herbert Jones, then Williamson again on the break. Over the next 75 seconds, Porter and Danny Wolf each found Sharpe for a 3-pointer.

In 19 minutes of the 145-111 win, Sharpe finished with 15 points, five assists and four blocks, matching his career high.

The next test is how Sharpe and his teammates respond when defenses adjust. Switching a handoff can take away Porter’s jumper and leave a smaller defender on Sharpe. Getting him the ball back before help arrives could turn that response into a chance to score inside. Both the pass and the recognition have to come quickly enough to use the opening.

Brooklyn re-signed Sharpe in July for two years and $20 million, with a $10 million team option for 2027-28. Even if the Nets exercise it, Sharpe can reach unrestricted free agency in 2028 at 26.

Sustaining that mix of passing, rebounding and rim protection would strengthen Sharpe’s place in Brooklyn’s future. The more the Nets can ask him to do, the harder he could become to replace at that price.