Are Brooklyn Nets' Dariq Whitehead's Summer League Struggles a Cause for Concern?

An underwhelming showing should not doom the promising guard just yet.

John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Dariq Whitehead has had a rough transition to the NBA after being selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 22nd pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Two games into his career he suffered what would be a season-ending left shin injury that would require surgery, and had been rehabbing up until the NBA 2K25 Summer League. He was nothing short of a disappointment through four games in Las Vegas, but for good reason. Whitehead is still amid a grueling rehab process, and will need time to adjust to the pace of the pro level.

In those four games, he tallied five points, 4.5 rebounds and one assist per contest while shooting just 15% from the field and 8% from deep. Not the numbers many were expecting by any means, but he was basically thrown back into the fire after being a year removed from any real game-time action.

This upcoming year will essentially serve as his true rookie campaign, which is sure to come with the typical "welcome to the NBA" struggles. He will still only be 20 years old at the start of next season, allowing plenty of time for him to become acclimated and go through the typical developmental stages first-year players face.

So no, the summer league performance is not cause for concern just yet. If through 20-30 games of the 2024-25 regular season Whitehead is still showing signs that he is more of the player he put on display in Las Vegas than he is the star at Duke, then it will be time to question whether he can truly succeed in the NBA. For now, he must be given time to solely focus on rehabbing and hope that he can return to his once-dominant form.

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