Brooklyn Nets' Sharpe, Watford to Miss Time With Injury

Brooklyn will be without two of their top bench pieces as the regular season draws near.

Apr 7, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe (20) looks to pass as Sacramento Kings center Alex Len (25) defends during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets will begin the 2024-25 season short-handed.

Monday afternoon, the franchise informed Ian Begley of SNY that valuable depth pieces Day'Ron Sharpe and Trendon Watford have both been diagnosed with a "left hamstring strain." The former will be re-evaluated in six weeks, the latter in two.

Sharpe's absence will leave Brooklyn without their backup center until at least mid-November. Given that the 22-year-old is the Nets' lone rostered center outside of Nic Claxton, second-year forward Noah Clowney could potentially see some reps at the five.

Last year's first-round pick tallied 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while tallying just over 16 minutes nightly. Expectations around Clowney to show signs of development are already high, and now his opportunities may increase.

Watford, fresh off of a two-year extension following a strong performance at the NBA 2K25 Summer League, will hopefully be back in time for Brooklyn's season-opener against the Atlanta Hawks.

Apr 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Trendon Watford (9) walks off the court after a loss against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Should he suffer a setback, Ziaire Williams or Dariq Whitehead may be flexed into a larger role off the bench. Williams came over from the Memphis Grizzlies back in July, following a 2023-24 campaign that saw him average 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game on 39.7% shooting. Whitehead, once a star at Duke, appeared in just two games during his rookie season due to season-ending left shin surgery.

While their contributions will be missed, Brooklyn is fortunate Sharpe and Wadford have relatively short recovery timetables.

The Nets open their preseason against the Los Angeles Clippers tomorrow at 10:30 p.m. EST.

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