LAS VEGAS — When the Nets tip off the preseason Monday against the Lakers, their defense will look different.
And their biggest body may be the biggest beneficiary.
The Nets have switched more than anybody in the NBA, leveraging starting center Nic Claxton’s mobility.
But it’s also not only hurt their rebounding but kept their best rebounder from playing major minutes.
That could be about to change.
While the Nets will still do a fair amount of switching, coach Jacque Vaughn will use more drop-coverage than they have over the past couple of years.
It will help on the glass, not just schematically but by letting bruising backup Day’Ron Sharpe get on the floor more than he did his first two seasons.
“Drop will help us rebounding, mainly,” Sharpe told The Post. “When we switch 1-through-5 … it wasn’t so much Nic or I was getting cooked every play. It was more so we’re out on the perimeter, they’re shooting the ball, the other guys [are] down there getting the rebounds.
“So, personally, I like to drop better. I like getting boards, I like being physical. And I don’t like when I feel like my matchup is killing me, either. So at the end of the day, I feel like it’s going to help us a lot.”
At 6-foot-9 and 265 pounds, Sharpe is ill-suited to guard wings on the perimeter.
He’s built to battle on the boards (his 17.9 rebound percentage last season was 12th among qualified players) and play in the drop.
“Personally, I just feel like I’ve been working on everything: Hip rotation, body movement, all that,” Sharpe said. “So I’m trying to be to the point where it doesn’t matter what we’ve got to do, I can still play.
“But I’m a great rebounder, so drop obviously is better for me when it comes to rebounding and boxing out, protecting the paint, and not chasing little guards all around the court. So this will help me.”
The Nets still intend to switch.
Sometimes it’ll be 1-through-3, sometimes 1-through-4, leaving the center to protect the rim.
But playing a higher percentage of drop-coverage will only get Sharpe on the floor more.
“The majority of time he’s been in drop, but the other day we gave him an opportunity [to switch], which we will do in games where we have to be flexible to make adjustments in the course of the game,” Vaughn said. “We gave him a pretty simple assignment what he’s expected to do when that switching happens, what shots he wants to give up. Overall, he’s been pretty good at adapting.”
This is a big season for Sharpe.
After averaging just 11.8 minutes in 80 games through his first two seasons, 2024-25 is a team option.
He needs to make an impression.
“The great thing is he’s been he’s showing improvement in a lot of areas. He’s really played extremely hard, and that’s pushed Nic. The physicality that Day’Ron plays with is great for Nic,” Vaughn said. “He’s handled his emotions extremely well, and shown professionalism when something’s not going his way. He’s shown growth that way.
“That was a huge part of him being in or out of the lineup as a professional. He’s picked up on the concepts we want him to be involved in. Really good camp for Day’Ron: Now the challenge for me with him all the time is can you do it again, day after day, day after day as a third year player.”
At 21, Sharpe says that’s been both an offseason focus and natural maturation.
“It was a little bit of both,” Sharpe said. “Coming in at 19, coming in younger I really didn’t know what the league was about. But my first two years, I realized quick what it is. For me to stay consistent and get the minutes I want, I’ve got to do the things that I want so I can get on the court.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about playing. So if that’s what I’ve got to do to play, that’s what I’ve got to do. So, maturity and being a professional, it’s both.”
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