Brooklyn Nets Film Room: Breaking Down Dariq Whitehead’s Game vs. Chicago Bulls

Brooklyn’s second-year prospect scored a career-high 18 points in the team’s Monday night loss to Chicago.

Oct 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Dariq Whitehead (0) in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Dariq Whitehead played his best NBA game to date in the Brooklyn Nets’ loss to the Chicago Bulls, dropping a career-high 18 points on six made threes in what was perhaps the team’s only bright spot.

Whitehead was once considered the best prospect in high school basketball, but his last two years haven’t gone according to plan. His sole season at Duke was derailed by a Jones fracture in his right foot before his freshman year. Whitehead then had another procedure on that same foot prior to the 2023 NBA Draft, in which the Nets selected him with the No. 22 overall pick. 

His rookie year in the NBA was subsequently cut short by shin surgery, and his Summer League return was underwhelming after basically two years of dashed health and very limited in-game rhythm. Until now, Whitehead had spent most of this season with the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s developmental affiliate, and he’d played up and down in the G League. 

Whitehead’s 16-point debut was followed by two seven-point games, a 17-point affair, another seven-point contest, and then a final 26-point explosion at the end of November before he was recalled to the Nets' main squad. The former Duke prospect shot 34.6% from the field and 34.1% from three over six G League games. 

Those numbers are evidently far from good; yet, Whitehead’s last G League game, in which he dropped 26 points, forebode his 18-point night in Chicago. Whitehead’s usage as a floor spacer was very similar., which was clearly reflected in his shot diet against the Bulls. Ten of his 11 attempted shots were threes. 

In the short-term at least, this is how Whitehead will contribute when he steps on the court. His utmost priority should be to stretch out defenses with his 3-point shot. This was already often the case at Duke, and it may be Whitehead’s ultimate NBA role regardless if he doesn’t recover at least some of the pop and lift he played with pre-injuries.

All of the threes in the video above are translatable to future NBA games. Whitehead is playing out of lifts, for instance, which is extremely common for young players. He's also receiving the ball out of pick-and-rolls, which is another option that should exist frequently, especially if Dennis Schröder is the team’s point guard. Playing out of the attention and options that the Nets' elbow touches create will be a possibility, as well.

This three here popped out to me a bit more because Whitehead is initially used as a screener. He sets a flare screen for Shake Milton and then operates out of that to convert the triple.

The next step for Whitehead is being able to use his theoretical gravity from three to put the ball on the floor and attack closeouts or make quick, effective decisions off the catch. Right now, he’s limited by his lack of lift, a side effect of his recent injury woes. The 20-year-old doesn’t even hit the rim in this clip.

The problem is that this issue has also shown up in Whitehead’s Summer League and G League minutes. He’s still pretty early on in terms of being back to full health, but it’s imperative that his finishing and overall efficiency improve. 

In general, if Whitehead’s role is going to be to space the floor, then he’ll need to be a comfortable .5-second decision maker. Usually, that will either involve catching and shooting, catching and passing, or catching and driving. Whitehead’s process in the video above isn’t perfect, but the read is solid enough.

After Monday’s game, Whitehead highlighted how his effort against the Bulls started on defense: “I think it was just more so about coming in and doing the small things, if that was rebounding early, taking on the best defensive assignment. I knew the offense part would come to me once I did the small things that coach wants, and I feel like it’s just staying ready.” 

The second-year swingman was better on defense than expected against Chicago, putting together his best night in a Brooklyn uniform on this end of the floor as well. This possession is a good example of what Whitehead commented on. 

He picks up full court and sets the tone for the Nets team early in the shotclock. The Bulls try to counter Whitehead’s ball pressure with a screen high up the floor, but Day’Ron Sharpe hedges the screen hard and the former remains pesky, leading to a Bulls turnover. After that, it’s a creative delivery from Whitehead to get the assist and finish the two-way play he created.

This is another sturdy defensive stand from Whitehead, as he executes the basics well. He’s there to initially help on the roller, and he then closes out to the corner and blocks the three.

This was my personal favorite defensive possession from Whitehead against the Bulls. He’s engaged from the very first moment, always aware of what’s happening.

As soon as Julian Phillips begins his catch-and-go into the paint from the left wing, Whitehead is ready to come over from the bottom right side of the floor. He meets Phillips’ take with perfect verticality and gets the stop.

Of course, there will be defensive lapses to iron out, and plenty of “rookie” moments given that Whitehead is effectively a first-year player when it comes to in-game NBA reps. This is an avoidable one, as Whitehead gets attracted towards the ball to contest instead of staying with his man. That gives Chicago a very clean look from three, even if it doesn’t fall.

This clip features another fixable mistake, although it’s “costly” for now since it results in Whitehead, and therefore the Nets, conceding an open three. His body positioning on what is a very simple switch needs to be better.

In this clip above, Whitehead is in the right spot to make a play, but he gets finished through with ease. Again, his lift and twitch have been compromised, so that will also pop up on this side of the ball.

Overall, Whitehead’s defense falls under the “to be determined” category. This might seem like a cop-out, but it’s sincerely just tough to gauge given that his pre- and post-injury physical contexts are totally different, his on-court functions have completely changed, and his handful of NBA minutes result in a tiny sample size for now.

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