UNC Basketball: What Day’Ron Sharpe brings to the Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets select UNC basketball’s Day’Ron Sharpe with the 29th overall pick.

Many were shocked when Day’Ron Sharpe announced he would forego his sophomore season to enter the 2021 NBA Draft. Despite being a high school five-star recruit and living up to his hype during his first year with UNC, some felt Sharpe should’ve stayed another year instead of gambling with his draft stock. Sharpe’s decision was a risk that would pay off as his workout videos hit the net leading to a rise in his draft stock. That spike was enough to catch the attention of Brooklyn. So, now, only one question remains:

What type of impact will Sharpe have on the Nets?

Sharpe, only 19 years old, brings a 6-foot-11-inch frame that can finish at the rim, and still lock down on defense. His style is more of a 2000’s-era big, however, the athleticism that Sharpe brings with his game could offer positive impact for the Nets sooner than later. The key with Sharpe is his aggressiveness on the glass, which often led to extra opportunities while at Carolina. Last season, on an average of 19.2 minutes of playing time, Sharpe averaged 7.6 rebounds with 3.3 of them being offensive.

If Sharpe continues to work on his shot and can become more of a modern day, stretch-the-floor type of big while keeping his 2000’s style of grit, then he could end up being part of the glue on this championship-contending team. So what professional player does Sharpe emulate on the court? He is a mixture of LaMarcus Aldridge and Draymond Green; that due to his size, ability to control the paint and defense.

Defense is the key to Sharpe’s game as his impact will be immensely felt in that area. This is great for Brooklyn, with one of their biggest struggles coming from the defense, which ranked just 22nd in the league. At UNC, Sharpe played off the bench due to a congested front court, only starting four games out of 29. His impact never went unnoticed, though, as he often brought a spark with his on-ball pressure. His offensive impact may come a little later as he gets more comfortable with his shot and spacing in half court sets. At Carolina, he only made 7.4 field goal attempts per game, and he made 51% of them, but to reach his true ceiling he will need to find his shot more often.

In his rookie season, expect Sharpe to slowly get playing time behind Nic Claxton and (potentially) Blake Griffin as he learns the offense, and do not be surprised if he spends some time with their G-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Sharpe is a project, but he is NBA-ready and could find himself playing valuable minutes mid-way through the season. Sharpe might’ve gone 29th, but six years from now, Sharpe could be looked at as not only a steal, but a top-three player from this year’s draft.

Be sure to keep up with Keeping it Heel as we continue our coverage on the UNC basketball program.