NBA Draft 2021: Stock watch after a month of college basketball games

Day’Ron Sharpe – North Carolina -6’11, 265 lbs – Freshman

Stock: Up

I watched a ton of Sharpe film at Montverde last season and was impressed, but he was in a smaller role, playing with stars on a team that blew everyone out. I certainly thought he was an NBA player but didn’t think he’d get to showcase himself in North Carolina’s logjam of a frontcourt.

Boy was I wrong. Sharpe still is not starting, nor is he playing the minutes he deserves, but the freshman has been one of the most impressive bigs in this draft class. Despite playing only 18 minutes per game, he’s been uber effective whenever he’s stepped on the court. He leads the Tarheels with a +10.6 box plus/minus, ranking fourth in the country amongst all freshmen.

On both ends of the court, Sharpe is an intuitive and brilliant player. Offensively, he’s a fast processor, making reads for passes few bigs can make. Roy Williams’ high-low sets have optimized this ability and have allowed him to make some good dump down passes. When doubled, Sharpe instantly finds the open man.

His post-game still needs improvement, but he’s not a guy NBA teams will look to for buckets, so I’m not overly concerned. He manages to score off of keen rebounding awareness, leading to putbacks, as well as solid touch around the rim. My biggest concern on that end is his shooting. He’s taken just two threes and is 14-25 from the free throw line, but the form looks workable.

Defensively, he’s anchored their defense whenever he’s played. He’s made good rotations to protect the rim, despite a lack of elite leaping ability. He’s averaging over a steal per game to go with one block.

Entering the season, Evan Mobley and Usman Garuba were the clear top-two frontcourt players. In just six games in, Sharpe has established himself as the third-best big and now has a tangible case for the late lottery.