Brooklyn Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe recently came across an injury scare after sustaining what the team described as left hamstring tightness in Sunday’s 134-98 loss at the New York Knicks. Brooklyn initially created some confusion when they listed Sharpe as having a left glute contusion prior to Tuesday’s 119-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors, but head coach Jordi Fernandez provided further context on Sharpe’s injury.
“With Day’Ron first, no hamstring, right? So, he’s a glute contusion, and he’s day-to-day, so we’re not concerned. We also want to make sure that he feels good and mentally in a good place to to be ready to play. So, that’s all good news,” Fernandez said during his pregame press conference. Sharpe wasn’t able to play against the Raptors, but the good news is that he could be back any day now.
With Sharpe out of the lineup against Toronto, Fernandez had to find out a way to fill the backup center minutes and it looked like forward Noah Clowney was the candidate for that role. Clowney stepped up to the challenge as he played 35 minutes and put up 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks while shooting 4-of-9 from the field and 2-of-7 from three-point land.
While Clowney did what was asked of him, there were some who believed that the candidate for the backup minutes that Sharpe normally plays was rookie forward Danny Wolf. However, Wolf didn’t enter Tuesday’s loss to the Raptors until late in the fourth quarter and based on Fernandez’s comments prior to the game, it seemed like the former Michigan Wolverine was going to play more than two minutes.
“It’s (Sharpe being out) an opportunity for the next man up. I’m not going to tell you who’s going to play, but obviously Danny is here, Ben (Saraf) is here. So, excited for all these guys, whether they play or not, but they all know that next-man-up mentality is always important, and just go out there and play as hard as you can,” Fernandez said. Ultimately, Nets fans can rest easy knowing that Sharpe’s injury isn’t as serious as initially reported.