The Brooklyn Nets selected three players in the 2023 NBA Draft: forward Noah Clowney from Alabama with the 21st pick of the first round, guard Dariq Whitehead of Duke at No. 22, and forward Jalen Wilson out of Kansas in the second round at No. 51. The Newark, New Jersey, native Whitehead, who played one season at Duke, has appeared in the least amount of games among the three for the Nets, which were 25-53 before hosting the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night at the Barclays Center. But he may be the most talented.
The 20-year old Whitehead was projected to be a lottery pick before undergoing two surgeries to his right foot before the draft. He also had season-ending surgery in his rookie year on January 2024 to address a stress reaction in his left shin after playing in only two games.
This season, the 6’6” Whitehead has seen floor time in just 16 games prior to Tuesday. Yet, with starting point guard D’Angelo Russell logging a nominal 13 minutes in a 105-90 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Barclays last Thursday, and sidelined with right ankle soreness in Sunday’s 120-106 loss in Brooklyn to the Toronto Raptors, Whitehead was afforded additional time and had his best back-to-back performances of his short NBA career.
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He scored in double figures in two-straight games for the first time as a pro, dropping 17 points versus Minnesota and 13 against Toronto. He nailed a combined eight three-pointers in the two games, including five against the Timberwolves.
“Just do the right things,” Whitehead responded when asked how he will take advantage of the increased opportunity. “I’m sure me, as well as the coaching staff know by now how talented I am offensively. We’re going to make shots. For me, it’s just doing the right thing on (the court), earning coaches’ trust, being in the right spots on defense … like I said, and from there I know that everything else (is) going to take care of itself.”
Whitehead also discussed his growing confidence bolstered by the encouragement from his coaches and teammates.
“You hear your teammates, and you hear coaches say, ‘go out there and shoot 10 threes,’ and for me, it’s not just shooting 10 threes … I want to go out there and take the shots that I know I can make.”
Whitehead then gave an honest assessment of his career thus far.
“I’ve been out (of college) for two years. At this point, it’s a reality check with myself. I know I’m not going to come back (in) four or five months and just gain coach’s trust. I got to continue showing that I’m working on my body, taking care of my body, doing the right things outside of basketball. So that he’s comfortable with putting me in there and knowing that I’m not having any setbacks or anything.”
The Nets host the Atlanta Hawks tonight, then play the Timberwolves on the road tomorrow and close out their regular season at home on Sunday versus the Knicks.