The night of the 2021 NBA Draft is fast approaching for the Chicago Bulls and the big board for this front office should be mostly set. But there is always the chance for various prospects to rocket up draft boards, and/or fall pretty dramatically on the night of the draft festivities. That could surely shake up the plan for the Bulls on draft night.
A prospect that rose up draft boards pretty significantly within the last few months that could very well be a target of the Bulls is the former North Carolina Tar Heels big man Day’Ron Sharpe. As a projected late first-round draft pick, there’s a real chance that Sharpe could fall to the Bulls at 38.
And if the Bulls are looking to replenish some of the depth that could be lost in free agency this summer, and that was dealt out at the trade deadline last season, then Sharpe could be a solid option to target. Sharpe had a good freshman campaign with the Tar Heels on his way to garnering ACC All-Freshman Team honors.
Sharpe did help contribute to a Tar Heels squad that was largely disappointing last season, but he did get much better near the end of the run. In 29 games played, he averaged 9.5 points per game, 7.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks. And he shot 51.9 percent from the field and 50.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Chicago Bulls 2021 NBA Draft Scouting Reports: Day’Ron Sharpe
The 6-foot-11 and 265-pound Greenville, NC, native and former five-star recruit is a product of the esteemed Montverde Academy. He had the talent to eventually be an NBA Draft pick from what he showed in high school. But he’s about to fulfill that part of his journey next week in all likelihood.
Strengths
In terms of getting a big man with a high floor that can contribute right away, Sharpe could be the guy for the Bulls. He is more of a traditional big man, but he is one that can make an impact right away.
Sharpe was among the better rebounding big men in the ACC last season. He uses his insanely large and powerful frame to consistently position himself well in the paint and he is efficient in that spot. Sharpe led the ACC last season in total offensive rebounds (just under 100), and he ranked in the top three among eligible players in offensive rebounding percentage at just north of 18 percent.
Hitting the offensive glass hard is something that the Bulls could do better, hence why adding Sharpe makes sense.
Moreover, it will take time for Sharpe to develop any sort of an outside game. But he is efficient near the rim. And his ability to overwhelm opposing defenders helps him get to the line more frequently. He was a few percentage points shy of posting a 50 percent free-throw attempt rate last season.
What also should appeal to numerous NBA teams about Sharpe is his ability to work in the screen-and-roll game. That would really work well with head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls. Sharpe also has good court vision from the paint, which could help the ball movement from inside-out to supplement the Bulls’ offense.
On the defensive end of the floor, Sharpe is a real force. He can protect the rim when needed. He had a rock-solid 5.1 block percentage last season with UNC and a defensive rebounding percentage of 23.8.
Sharpe doesn’t have the greatest vertical leap among big men, but he can do enough to give the Bulls an average-level rim protector compared to others bigs like Daniel Theis.
Weaknesses
Most of the weaknesses for Sharpe are similar to that of any other freshman big man that fits more of the traditional center mold. His scoring ability is limited once he moves six feet away from the rim.
Sharpe also only took two attempts from beyond the arc during his freshman campaign at UNC, making none of them.
Some of the lack of offensive arsenal in Sharpe’s game can be made up by the fact that he has such good court vision and works so well in the paint. But that part of his game will have to be developed by whatever team drafts him next week.
Another “weakness” to Sharpe’s game was his lack of exposure. We saw Sharpe fill one role with the Tar Heels for one season. That’s not a whole lot to work off of, especially if a team that drafts him is looking to have him play a different style than he did with the Tar Heels.
There are also potential concerns about how Sharpe could fit in at the next level as an on-ball defender. He has the footspeed to contend with most forwards and big men, but he doesn’t have much experience switching on defense against some of the more adept and larger wings and guards.
Comparisons
There are some valid comparisons that you could have for Sharpe just among traditional big men. At a ceiling, he could be somewhat of a poor man’s version of the Phoenix Suns standout center DeAndre Ayton. More realistically, he could turn into somewhat of an Al Jefferson or Thomas Bryant (before he developed an outside shot) at the next level.