Dariq Whitehead Previews Upcoming Season and Reflects on Summer League

The former first round pick is “ramping up” after two years of injuries.

Nov 25, 2023; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Dariq Whitehead (0) during his NBA debut in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Some days, Brooklyn Nets coaches see flashes of what Dariq Whitehead could be. Other days, they demand more consistency from the former five-star recruit and first-round pick.

That’s how Whitehead himself explained his first months under new head coach Jordi Fernández and his staff at Nets media day. The Nets prospect is entering his second year in Brooklyn, but it is effectively his first real NBA season after only having featured in two games before undergoing season-ending shin surgery last January.

"How much Jordi preaches development, that's been the biggest thing for me," Whitehead said on Monday at the HSS Training Center. "[The coaches] are all on one page, all preaching development, getting 1% better each day."

Whitehead has struggled for full health since leaving high school, initially requiring two foot surgeries before being drafted into the NBA and then experiencing shin issues as a rookie. After his most recent surgery last winter, Whitehead returned to the court this summer in Summer League action and averaged a lowly five points, 4.5 rebounds and one assist in 20.8 minutes.

“Obviously, for me, I know it wasn't the Summer League I would have liked to have,” he said. “I've been injured for two years since coming out of college — so for me, I just looked at it as a stepping stone for me just to get back feeling my body and trusting my body.”

In addition to the couple of NBA games he played in, Whitehead also featured in four G League games for the Long Island Nets last season. The Duke product is likely to spend significant time on Long Island again this year, and he reflected on how he might use that prior developmental experience.

“I could look at the time frame of the games I did play and get better from those,” Whitehead said. “Even if I wasn't moving the best or wasn't the healthiest, [there are] still things to learn from in terms of just being in the right spot on defense.” 

Fernández, in his first year as an NBA head coach, has emphasized defense in his preseason comments. Whitehead stressed that he is not concerned with his offensive production right now since he believes that will come with improved health. Instead, he is focused on “doing the right thing all the time” down the other end.

But like the Nets are telling him, he needs consistency. Those reps will probably not come with the first team this season, although that is probably to Whitehead’s benefit, as he can experiment and learn through trial and error on high volume in the G League.

“I've had two and a half three months after Summer League to ramp up, so now it's just more so going out there, playing hard, not worrying about things, not second guessing, and just making sure I go out there and [play] the way Dariq can play basketball,” he said.

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