The Networks struggled again to open the 2026/27 season, currently holding a 3-9 record after winning 32, 26 and 20 games in the past three seasons. However, the game of the center Day Ron Sharp became a bright spot against the background of a slow start, he writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Obviously, the sample is very small, but Brooklyn has it plus-4.4 net rating for Sharpe’s 284 minutes to this point and a terrible minus-16.2 mark in 297 minutes when he’s not playing. This is Sharpe’s first season as the team’s starting center after spending the first five years as the primary backup Nick Claxtonwho was traded to Chicago in the summer.
Sharpe, whose two-year, $20 million contract includes a team option through 2027-28, extended his own Nets record for a center on Saturday in Memphis by recording at least five assists (he had five) for the fifth consecutive game. Above this a five-game stretchThe 25-year-old averaged 10.8 points, 7.4 assists (against just 2.0 turnovers), 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.0 steals in 25.2 minutes per contest.
“Yes, he takes on a new role and adapts,» head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Sharpe. “It adjusts to more minutes. … It comes with, a lot of it. And I think he’s doing a great job. He very carefully monitors his daily routine, his body, takes care of himself, his treatment, what he eats. And now you see that he can speak longer and for more minutes.
“So I’m really proud of him and I think he’s an influence on the band as well. Thanks to him, we play well, and sometimes very well. And what he brings, like yesterday or two days ago, he had big game-winning plays at the rim and verticals and then his passing and rebounding and so on. So I’m very happy and he has to keep making strides, keep working.»
Here’s more on the net:
- How CJ Holmes of The New York Daily News writes, Fernandez’s rotation decisions backfired in Saturday’s loss. The Nets trailed by eight points when Fernandez pulled Sharp from the game midway through the third quarter. When he returned to the game nine minutes and 25 seconds later, the team was down by 24 points. The team finished plus-four in Sharpe’s 28 minutes in a game Brooklyn lost by 19 points. Holmes also questions Fernandez’s three-striker lineup, with Noah Clowney starting from a place Michael Porter Jrwho was late for personal reasons.
- Porter was on the bench for Saturday’s game despite being ejected on his way to the arena. “We want to give him privacy. Everything is normal. So we’re happy he was here” Fernandez said, according to Holmes Lewis sourcesPorter’s personal issue is believed to be resolved and he is expected to return soon. Brooklyn certainly missed its best scorer on Saturday. “Everyone has to step in and contribute. It’s not just one person“, Julius Randle said. “So we all have to step up and get involved and do it collectively as a unit.“
- Networks and Grizzlies were among the teams affected by the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision all flights were cancelled in the United States for a few hours on Friday, Lewis writes in a different story. While Fernandez acknowledged the situation wasn’t ideal for either team, he didn’t use that as an excuse, noting Memphis was on its second road trip home after Friday’s game at New Orleans. “Yeah, I mean, obviously it was something we couldn’t control” Fernandez said before Saturday’s game.”And honestly, it wasn’t that bad. We were well rested and got here (Saturday) morning, went through the briefing and maybe (would have) gone to the gym, but we couldn’t. And I think we feel good and ready to go.”