The 2022-23 season was an interesting one for the Brooklyn Nets. In a season that started with championship expectations, the Nets’ season ended with just trying to hold on to a playoff spot after trading away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to end the superstar experiment once and for all.
At one point, Brooklyn was considered one of the main contenders in the Eastern Conference with Durant and Irving leading the way. Once the trade deadline came and went, the Nets had a completely different team led by budding star wing Mikal Bridges.
Not to mention, Brooklyn went through a coaching change after Steve Nash was fired following a 2-5 start to this season. Jacque Vaughn is now the head man of a team that is currently in flux thanks to the trades of Durant and Irving. While the offseason is still fresh, it’s a good time to review all of the Nets who played this season starting with: center Day’Ron Sharpe.
(All stats are courtesy of basketball-reference.com).
Traditional Stats:
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4.7 PPG
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4.2 RPG
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0.7 BPG
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54.4 FG%
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54.5 3FG%
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63.6 FT%
Advanced Stats:
Statistical Ranks:
Contract:
Takeaways:
Sharpe, 21, had a solid season for the Nets in his sophomore season that had its share of ups and downs. He played just 48 games this season for Brooklyn, but that was due to a combination of playing for the team’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, to get some experience outside of the games.
Sharpe played eight games for the LIN and in those contests, he averaged 14.8 points, 12.1 RPG, and 1.9 BPG while shooting 56.2% from the field and 22.2% from three-point land. Over the past two seasons, Sharpe has not spent time in the G League as it seems that Brooklyn has a need for him given his size (6’9″ and 265 LBs) and athleticism.
Sharpe’s highlight of the season for the Nets was in February and March as he averaged 13.7 MPG and 15.3 MPG, respectively. In March, the former North Carolina Tar Heel averaged 7.6 points, 5.1 RPG, and 1.1 BPG while shooting 52.9% from the field and 40% from behind the three-point line.
Sharpe showed some growth in his second season as he displayed better touch around the rim and an improved ability to play under control. However, fouling is still an issue for him given that he averaged 5.8 fouls per 36 minutes and that was part of the reason that he did not receive more consistent playing time.
Despite that, he made enough strides in his sophomore season to show that he can be a good big off the bench for Brooklyn when he is focused and engaged. Assuming that he gets better at handling the basketball and catching the ball cleanly in the paint, Sharpe should make a decent leap next season.
Season grade: C
Story originally appeared on Nets Wire