Injury Interrupts UNC Basketball Product's Career-Best Season

Former UNC basketball one-and-done Day'Ron Sharpe is out indefinitely with the Nets due to a knee injury.

Photo credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Day'Ron Sharpe is one of only two players who have seen action in all 37 games for the Brooklyn Nets (16-21) this season. But the 2020-21 UNC basketball center won't be with the team for its trip to Paris, where Brooklyn will face the Cleveland Cavaliers (21-15) in Accor Arena at 2 p.m. ET Thursday.

The 22-year-old Sharpe, in his third season with the Nets since getting drafted No. 29 overall in 2021 following his one-and-done Tar Heel campaign, hyperextended his left knee during Sunday's home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

On Monday, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reported that "it's unclear how long [Sharpe] will be out." However, it looks like the Greenville, N.C., native will be sidelined for at least two weeks, as that's when the team plans to reevaluate the status of his injury:

Day’Ron Sharpe Medical Update:

Day’Ron Sharpe has been diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee. The injury occurred during the Nets vs. Trail Blazers game on Jan. 7. Sharpe will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks.

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 9, 2024

As alluded to above, Sharpe, the Nets' primary backup at center, has been a durable, promising piece to the squad's rotation this go-round. He's averaging career-high stats across the board: 7.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.9 blocks in 16.0 minutes per outing off the bench.

Brooklyn's other UNC basketball talent, 27-year-old starting forward Cam Johnson, has played 29 games this season, averaging 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.

If the regular season ended now, the Nets, No. 10 in the Eastern Conference standings, would sneak into the NBA Play-In Tournament.

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