Dariq Whitehead: will a dunk become a turning point?

Development is a big part of the Nets rebuild and one big focus is Dariq Whitehead whose first dunk in two years is a big milestone

Dariq Whitehead will be in Brooklyn, not Long Island Saturday night and active. The Nets called him up from Long Island VCn Wednesday and he posted a solid game vs the Suns. In 15 minutes, the 6’7” 20 year old put up 12 points, shooting 4-of-7 overall and 3-of-5 from deep, his second best outing in the nine games he played in Brooklyn since he was drafted at No. 22 in the 2023 NBA Draft.

It’s been a tough time for Whitehead, having had three surgeries, two on his right foot then a procedure on his left shin splint, over 22 months spanning his freshman year at Duke and his fist year in Brooklyn.

He’s spent most of his time in Long Island with the G League Nets. It’s been a tough road physically and mentally for the Newark native.

Then in a Sunday afternoon game a week back, something happened. Dariq Whitehead, known as a high-flier in his five years as a starter at Montverde Academy in Florida, dunked over three Maine Celtics in Portland…

Not long before, Whitehead had told Nets beat writers that he had one more milestone on his long road back.

“I feel like I’m pretty much all the way back. The last hurdle I gotta get over is me going to dunk on somebody. That’ll be when I know for sure I’m back.” he said.

So, does he still feel that way? Talking with Lucas Kaplan on the red carpet at the Brooklyn Paramount Friday night, Whitehead said yes, he believes it is, at least, a turning point for him.

“Yeah, I remember [saying] that,” he replied when asked about his earlier comment on the need to dunk. “I definitely feel like that was a turning point for me. That’s something I haven’t done in two years. Shit, I haven’t even had a regular dunk in two years, let alone me catching a body that first time.

“That was huge for me and my confidence, getting back to becoming more than just, you know, someone who’s known for shooting the ball.”

Nets brass privately agree, suggesting it was more than a single play; it was a real confidence booster. It is s a big deal just as going 4-of-4 vs. the Suns in the first half Wednesday.

“He had great energy and wasn’t second-guessing [himself],” Jordi Fernandez said of Whitehead, post-game. “He was ready to shoot, and his teammates made the right play, he was in the right spots, and he let it fly.”

The Nets have indeed pushed Whitehead to be aggressive while they stay patient. Their faith in his possibilities has never let up. Despite playing only two NBA games last season, having a limited role with Long Island, undergoing the shin surgery and then dealing with a disastrous Summer League performance in which he shot 15% overall and 8.3% from deep in four games, he got a $3.3 million extension from Sean Marks & co. The deal also gives Brooklyn control over his fourth year in 2026-27.

And while the Nets have patience, understanding development and injury recovery is often two steps forward, one step back, some fans do not with online critics suggesting the dunk wasn’t that impressive, that he’s a bust for such a high pick. (Of course, if he hadn’t had those surgeries, he would likely have been taken in the top five rather than at 22.).

As Steve Lichtenstein, a long time Nets observer first with WFAN and now on his Steve’s Newsletter wrote this week.

Oh, the irony of the certain segment of Nets fans who are willing to wait years for the team’s tanking process to bear fruit yet are getting a tad impatient with Brooklyn’s sheltering of 2023 first-round Draft pick Dariq Whitehead.

Lichtenstein also said his raw numbers, not just the return of his athleticism has to be seen as a positive.

The sheltered playing time the Nets have given him, though, has helped Whitehead see some success. He’s shooting 48% from the floor, including 52.4% of this three-pointers. If you recall, he was a bricklayer at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and he wasn’t exactly lighting it up during his appearances this season for Long Island either, shooting around 30% from deep.

In other words, confidence matters. With so many players out again Saturday, Whitehead May get minutes again. Will there be another turning point? After all, Whitehead hasn’t dunked in an NBA game yet!

• What else does Dariq Whitehead have to do to prove he’s ready for expanded role with Nets? – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News