NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Dariq Whitehead did not get much playing time during his rookie season due to the injuries that he dealt with coming into the 2023-24 campaign. Whitehead’s season ended in January when he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left shin, but it seems that he may be getting to some kind of normalcy.
“I’m feeling good. I’d say this is the first time in my career since probably high school where I’m feeling like I could get out there and be myself again and contribute the way I know I should contribute,” Whitehead said on Tuesday to the media following summer league practice. Whitehead is one of the main players that fans will be watching the Las Vegas Summer League for and he should be good to go.
“Just getting back and knowing that I’m not trying to rush it, making sure I’m 100% and really healthy for training camp,” Whitehead explained. “Also, knowing that I’m healthy enough to go out there and play all those games and make sure I contribute at a high level and continue to just get better each week.”
Whitehead did not play last summer as he was still recovering from the foot injuries that he dealt with during his freshman season at Duke. He had the second surgery on his right foot prior to training camp and while Whitehead ended up playing in the first half of the season, he was not 100% as he continued to deal with wear-and-tear ailments.
For now, it seems like Whitehead can look forward to the fact that he’ll be able to play without any restrictions as he experiences his first action in the summer league. Whitehead will be an interesting player to keep tabs on as Brooklyn will be able to afford him plenty of playing time due to the franchise entering a full rebuild.
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