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The Brooklyn Nets are at the beginning of its latest rebuild after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks last month in exchange for as many as five first-round picks and three players. With the franchise headed in a different direction compared to the past few season, the door is open for the young players to play more.
Nets guard Dariq Whitehead turned 20 years old on Thursday and with that being a celebration for him, it also represents how much lies ahead for him as well. Whitehead did not play as much last season as he and the organization had hoped due to various injuries that he suffered, including a stress reaction in his shin that required surgery.
Not to mention that Whitehead came into the 2023-24 season behind the eight-ball as he was recovering from foot surgery following his freshman season at Duke University. Ultimately, Whitehead will be judged by what he does on the court over the next few seasons and at this moment, he essentially has a clean slate.
It was encouraging to see Whitehead play in the Las Vegas Summer League earlier this month given the fact that he couldn’t play last summer, but his performance left a lot to be desired. In four games in Vegas, Whitehead averaged 5.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 14.6% from the field and 8.3% from three-point land.
While Whitehead did not play as well as he would have liked, he did show the signs that he was healthy enough to showcase the athleticism that had him regarded as a top-5 pick prior to his time at Duke. Only so much can be expected from Whitehead during his second season in the NBA, but he can show that he has gotten back to his old self in terms of his physicality, that would be something to hang on to in the early going.
Happy Birthday, @dariq_whitehead!
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— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) August 1, 2024