Nets' Day'Ron Sharpe explains what led to his improved rim finishing

NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe has made various improvements to his game over the past few seasons as he's grown into one of the best backup centers in the NBA. Sharpe has shown his ability to pass the ball, shoot the three-pointer, and run up and down the floor for Brooklyn, but it seems that he also improved his finishing around the rim as well.

"Credit to working out with [assistant coach] Juwan [Howard]. Like I said, just him always telling me to be patient, just watching clips every game and showing the times," Sharpe said during his exit interview in early April. Sharpe was ruled out for the rest of the season prematurely due to a UCL tear in his left thumb, but prior to the injury, he was having the best season of his career finishing in the paint and it sounds like Howard was the reason why.

"‘Why you rushing right there?’ or ‘You're big.’ I realize that too. You're bigger than what you think," Sharpe continued while explaining what Howard has said to him during their sessions together. "So, just taking your time every time, he just pushed it to me over the last two years, especially last season. I’d say recovering from my wrist injury the year before, too. [I'm] stronger, my wrist is getting back to normal. So, I would say that credit to this season."

Sharpe, 24, finished the 2025-26 season with averages of 8.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 60.1% from the field and 67.8% from the free-throw line. Prior to this season, Sharpe shot 65.9% from 0-3 feet, which is basically regarded as a player's shooting at the rim, but in 2025-26, Sharpe shot 75.1% from the same distance and that allowed him to be a more consistent scorer this year.

Sharpe has given credit to Howard, who was once an All-Star in the NBA as a frontcourt player, for his improvements in multiple areas and Howard has attributed that success to Sharpe's ability and work ethic. The Nets will likely pick up Sharpe's $6.25 million team option for next season and assuming that they do, he'll have the chance to show what else he can add to his game once he recovers from his thumb injury.