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Who Will Break Nets’ 40-Year 1,000 Rebound Season Drought?
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- Who Will Break Nets’ 40-Year 1,000 Rebound Season Drought?
(Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
Buck Williams was the last Brooklyn Nets player to record 1,000 rebounds in a season, and that record has gone untouched for 40 years.
Recording 1,000 rebounds is more than just a historic, rare accomplishment. It takes a combination of sheer dominance and Ironman-like health to have a chance at eclipsing the goal.
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Williams led the NBA in games played twice during his tenure with the Nets: 1984-85 and 1986-87. He averaged 12.3 rebounds in 38.8 minutes in the former year and 12.5 rebounds in 36.3 minutes in the latter.
The 6-foot-8 forward finished with 1,000-plus rebounds five times in his career, including four straight to start. Williams wasn't elite; he was the undisputed best rebounder.
Brooklyn hasn't found a player who could replicate his excellence ever since. Former Nets Nic Claxton has been the closest, with 702 and 706 in back-to-back seasons (2022-23 and 2023-24).
Even his best rebounding seasons couldn't compare to Williams'. Claxton's seven-year tenure with the franchise ended in June when he was traded to the Chicago Bulls in a four-team deal that sent Julius Randle to Brooklyn .
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His departure opened the starting role for Day'Ron Sharpe, who will have his go at breaking Williams' longstanding record. Rebounding is Sharpe's greatest strength, especially on the offensive glass.
He's one of the NBA's best offensive rebounders. The 6-foot-10 center has generated nearly three extra possessions per game from offensive rebounds and holds the highest career offensive rebounding percentage in NBA history (18.3%).
Sharpe surpasses legends Dennis Rodman and Jayson Williams. He also led the NBA in second-chance points per 36 minutes with six.
The 24-year-old's rebounding efficiency is promising, but he has a long way to go before catching the Nets legend. He averaged 6.7 rebounds across 67 games last season.
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That must improve to 12.3 rebounds over 82 games, even more if he misses time.
Brooklyn's starting center underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn UCL in his left thumb in March. Significant injuries like that absolutely shut the door on recording 1,000 rebounds.
Sharpe has to make an unrealistic jump from a great rebounder to arguably the NBA's best rebounder. He'd have to compete with Nikola Jokić and Domantas Sabonis, foreign big men who have averaged double-digit rebounds for several seasons.
Williams' record will likely extend for another season. It's one of those feats that will take a generational player to break, and Brooklyn has been rather unlucky trying to draft that kind of talent.
