Day'Ron Sharpe was a bright spot for the Brooklyn Nets during an otherwise forgettable 113-99 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Monday. The fourth-year center turned in his best performance of the season, posting 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists on 8-of-13 shooting. He was a team-best +9 in 22 minutes off the bench.

Sharpe's offensive rebounding stole the show for extended stretches during the loss. The 23-year-old grabbed nine offensive boards compared to five for the entire Pacers team.

“I got a lot of pride in my offensive rebounding. I call that my bread and butter,” Sharpe said. “You better box me out. Anybody. You 7-foot-4, you 7-foot-5, it don’t matter, you better box me out. I feel like I can do it against anybody, no matter how much you weigh or how tall you are.”

Sharpe's rebounding has been his calling card since the Nets selected him 29th overall in the 2021 draft.

Day'Ron Sharpe has season-best performance for Nets as trade deadline approaches

Brooklyn Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe (20) misses a dunk against Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The former first-round pick ranked second in the league in rebounding percentage last season, trailing only Andre Drummond. He also made significant strides as a finisher, passer and defender during the 2023-24 campaign, areas the Nets hope to see him build upon this year.

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“Impressive,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Sharpe's performance Monday. “His effort, second, third, fourth on the glass, that’s his superpower. That’s why we need him to bring that every game and then keep getting better in other aspects. Today, I thought he was fantastic. The extra possessions, but also finishing. That’s a good step for him, but also, him doing that makes us better. All these reps right now are huge. And again, I’m very happy for him.”

Sharpe has struggled to reach full strength with the Nets in 2024-25. The North Carolina product missed the entire preseason and the first six weeks of the regular season with a hamstring strain. Over his first 15 appearances, he's averaged 7.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 44.8 percent shooting in 16.7 minutes per game.

“I feel like I still got some room to go. I just feel like this is the start of it,” Sharpe said when asked about his progression this season. “About three games ago, I feel like I really was starting to feel like myself again. Just coming back from the injury and not playing for months, I'm just still trying to figure my way out. And I feel like this is the start of it.”

The Nets will soon face a decision on Sharpe's future. Multiple teams have expressed interest in trading for the center ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline, league sources told ClutchPoints. With Sharpe in the final year of his rookie contract, Brooklyn must decide whether to trade him or use a portion of its league-leading cap space to re-sign him this offseason.

The Nets signed Nic Claxton to a four-year, $97 million contract last summer. If they decide to move on from Sharpe at the deadline, they could bring in another backup center through the draft. Brooklyn has four first-round picks.