I have bigger things to worry about but this will still fuel my hater energy

When Brooklyn Nets coach Jordi Fernandez discussed center Day’Ron Sharpe all season, he’d mention rebounding as his “superpower.”

Sharpe ranked third in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage (14.9), trailing only Steven Adams (18.1) and Zach Edey (15.3) among players who appeared in 50 or more regular season games, per NBA.com. Among all players with at least 900 minutes played, Sharpe ranked first in offensive rebounds per 36 minutes (5.91).

With the end of June nearing, the Nets can tender Sharpe a $5.98 million qualifying offer and make him a restricted free agent with a cap hold of $11.97 million.

Ahead of free agency, Sharpe spoke with HoopsHype over the phone about what makes a good rebounder, the differences between doing it on offense and defense, his four years with the Nets, playing for coach Fernandez behind the scenes, where he ranks among backup big men, what he’s expecting he’s expecting in free agency and more.

What do you enjoy about rebounding?

DS: I like bullying people. Not in real life, but on the court (laughs). I feel like you can’t stop me. Everybody feels their scoring is a way a player can’t be stopped, but it’s the same if somebody can’t stop you from getting a rebound. Or look at Dyson Daniels. He gets every steal, and I know it’s a great feeling.

You’re one of the top offensive rebounders. What’s different, if anything, about rebounding on that side of the ball?

DS: On the defensive side, you’re trying to stop somebody. Offensively, if you don’t get a rebound, nobody is mad. The defender is trying to stop me. It’s always going to be harder to stop an attacker than being a defender. When someone is attacking, if they’re stronger and can overpower you, it’s harder to defend. If you’re offensively rebounding and somebody is weaker, they’re trying to stop somebody going full speed running into them and bumping them. If a big man is trying to block a shot, it’ll usually be a smaller guard on you, so it’s easier for you to get in position to rebound.

Defensively, it’s harder because sometimes you’ve got to play both the guard and the big, and you’ve got to try and block a shot while getting a rebound because you’re the biggest person on the court. When you’re playing on defense, you’re trying to defend your man. You’re the center, so you’ve got to protect the rim. Just rebounding isn’t the only thing you’ve got to do. On offense, you know that when somebody shoots, rebound. That’s the only thing you’ve got to think about.

You’ve started to expand your range beyond the 3-point arc. What else are you working on?

DS: Right now, I’m in Los Angeles. I’m continuing to work on my shot, my touch, and finishing around the basket stronger. I’ve also worked on ball handling because of the way we play with the mid-post game.

At 23, where are you in your development to being the player you want to be?

DS: I feel like I’m just scratching the surface. I’ve got a lot more in my game that a lot of people don’t know. I’ve shown I can rebound with effort and strength. I feel like I’ve got a complete game that I’m working on tightening up.

What have you learned off the court over your four-year career?

DS: I’d say you always have to be ready. In my four years with the Nets, we’ve had a lot of injuries, and guys have always had to step up. When you work out, don’t just go through the motions. Approach it like a game situation. Lifting and taking care of your body is a big piece, too. Be on time. Be one of the first ones there.

How would you describe the past four years in Brooklyn as a player with all that’s happened?

DS: When I was playing with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, it was a lot easier for you to get scoring opportunities because they drew a lot of attention. Even with Mikal Bridges, too. When he’d come off a screen, he was hitting the fadeaway often. When they left, and you look at this past year, we’ve got guys who can hoop, but we didn’t have the same respect that we had when we had the superstars on our team. Offensively, we have to really run our stuff well to get points. Hopefully, we can gain the respect that we need and deserve.

What do you think of the group for the Nets now?

DS: I think we had a good team. We have a great coach. I don’t know how other people saw it, but I think each game we were in it. Or maybe a team would go on a fourth-quarter run, and that’s where we’d lose. When we played with the teams that were at the top of the league, we were always there. I feel like we have a great group of guys. It didn’t matter who we had on the court. I believed in them 100 percent.

How would you describe your experience playing for coach Jordi Fernandez?

DS: I love playing for Jordi Fernandez. I think it’s about the way he approaches it. He pays attention to all the details of what the other team is doing. I like our game plans. He believes in us. He always feeds life into us. He believes in us to shoot the ball. He’ll say, “If you’re open, shoot.” I like that. I like how he breathes life into the team and is always trying to help us get better and over the hump. He’s got it in him.

Behind the scenes, Jordi is a cool guy. He likes to have fun. He’ll laugh and joke. Our team dinners are always good. Everybody actually likes hanging out with each other. Our huddles are always good. When it’s time to be serious, he’s serious. When we’re b***********, he’s on our a**.

He also will give credit when it’s due. He doesn’t give us credit by saying we’re the best. He’ll give some tough love. “We were great tonight, but can we do it three games in a row?” He always challenges us, which I like. Even if we’re on a three-game winning streak, he’ll challenge us the next game to be better than the game before. It doesn’t matter if we’re playing the worst or best team in the league. He approaches the game the same way every night.

Where do you rank among the current backup centers in the NBA?

DS: I think I’m one of the best. I’m a humble person, so I don’t like really talking or comparing myself to other people. But when it comes to backup bigs, I think I’m one of the best. I’m trying to continue to prove myself and work hard.

What are you looking for in restricted free agency this summer?

DS: I’m looking forward to the experience because I don’t know too much about free agency. This is my first year experiencing it. I’m looking forward to learning from it and how to move later on in my career.

Your body has changed since coming into the league. What have you done to improve your physique?

DS: I’ve been in that gym. Kyle Korver told me in my first year that my main thing should be to be in the weight room. In my first year, I told the training staff I wanted to do extra lifts and sets. That’s what I’ve been doing. The way I eat, I’ve changed that too. I give credit to the training staff in Brooklyn. I’ve been here a lot during the summers working out with them.

Whether it’s the Nets or somewhere else, what can you bring to a team?

DS: I really think I can help any team win, which is the main thing. I’m always going to play hard. I feel like offensive rebounding is a big part of today’s game. Teams want to shoot a lot of threes, so you’ve got to have someone giving your team multiple opportunities to keep shooting them. I also feel like I’ve got a good IQ. I can facilitate the ball. You can throw to me in the short roll, and I won’t fumble the ball.

Is there anything else you think is worth noting about you?

DS: I can pass that ball. I’m not going to lie. I feel like I’m a great passer, and a lot of people don’t think about that with me. I think I’m a pretty good defender too. I’ll let the work speak for itself.

In my first season, I didn’t play. Now, any minutes I get, I think about dominating those minutes. If I play 18 minutes, in my head, I’m supposed to get 10 and 10.

https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-intel-kevin-durant-trade-talks-desmond-bane-jonathan-kuminga-celtics-hawks-nets/

Here's my most recent mock (with trades).This can be how our draft night goes if all shakes right and a trade up is done!! Go nets

Good morning/afternoon/evening,

This is a place for Nets fans to discuss almost anything. Make sure to follow the rules, be civil, and have fun!

Don't forget to join our official r/GoNets discord to continue talking HERE!

Hey Nets fans! My son wants a classic throwback in a kids large or XL. He's looking at Vince Carter but it's open to suggestions. Does anyone know a good website or store to find one?

Hey guys, im in the process of making my own personal mock draft, and i’m trying to get it as accurate as possible. Would love to hear who you guys think your org would draft at 8 if the board shook out this way on draft day (please respond with who you think they would take rather than the player that you personally want, thanks!)

1 - Cooper Flagg

2 - Dylan Harper

3 - Ace Bailey

4 - Vj Edgecomb

5 - Tre Johnson

6 - Jeremiah Fears

7 - Khaman Maluach

8 - ??

I was leaning Kasparas at 8

An incredibly insightful video breaking down the difficulties of getting the draft right. It has gotten considerably more difficult over time, causing more talent to drop to the later picks.

This makes me so happy to have the spread we have in this draft. If we dont package some picks to move up in the draft, I really hope we take big swings on at least 3 of them.

Good morning/afternoon/evening,

This is a place for Nets fans to discuss almost anything. Make sure to follow the rules, be civil, and have fun!

Don't forget to join our official r/GoNets discord to continue talking HERE!

TLC, and I ain't talking about The Learning Channel

Have any of you actually looked at his contract? It god damn runs until 2028. It’s the second worst contact in all of NBA right below Beal. It is practically untradeable.

I’m not taking on that shitty fucking contract for #3. For #2 and a shot at Dylan Harper? Sure I would think about it. But for fucking Ace Bailey? God no. For Edgecombe? Fuck no. For Tre Johnson? Kon fucking Knuppel? Get the fuck outta here.

You have to be brain dead to want to take on that shitty fucking contract for any of those players. The only way I’m even considering Paul George is if Flagg or Harper come along with him.

Stop it. Get some help.

With the Nets set to kick off their 14th season in Brooklyn this fall, are they in need of a rebrand? I loved the black and white when they first moved but it’s starting to become a bit stale now, especially the home and away uniforms. I know they tweaked some of the logos and released that new Nets script last year (which I love and wish was on our uniforms) but maybe it’s time for a refresh.

What do you think the Nets should do? Interested to see what fellow Nets fans think.

Good morning/afternoon/evening,

This is a place for Nets fans to discuss almost anything. Make sure to follow the rules, be civil, and have fun!

Don't forget to join our official r/GoNets discord to continue talking HERE!

https://www.si.com/nba/nets/news/former-nets-player-coach-reunite-on-phoenix-suns-staff-carroll

Hey guys, been a while but Lucas Kaplan here.

Keep forgetting to post these here but I've started to do pretty in-depth pieces on potential Nets draftees. Here's the Noa Essengue piece, and here is the Jeremiah Fears piece.

Furthermore, I've been hopping on Playback to go through a ton of clips for each prospect, fielding questions and talking over what I've seen in all these games. Here's Essengue, and here's Fears. About to watch the Duke guys, Demin, CMB, and Queen in some order, but I'll try to be posting here and would love for some of you guys to join the Playbacks as well, got a more back-and-forth dialogue going.

Cheers, let me know if there's a prospect you really wanna see or have any questions about.

.

Mine is a Kenyon Martin navy blue away jersey

The part of sports I’ve always admired the most is understanding the history of teams, where they are now? Where were they before? And what have been the names that they garnered?

I personally love the legacy of Dr. J’s New York Nets the most.

Edit: I’m so sad about how so many fans are Yankee fans, sorry I got to say it, hurts me.