Tag: Dariq Whitehead

Nets’ Dariq Whitehead diagnosed with a left shin stress reaction

The Brooklyn Nets announced on Thursday that first-round pick Dariq Whitehead has been diagnosed with a left shin stress reaction.

The Brooklyn Nets have not had much to feel good about this season as they are looking more like a lottery team than they look like a playoff team. While the season is only halfway gone, it looks like the bad news doesn’t stop for Brooklyn.

The Nets announced on Thursday that Dariq Whitehead, the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and Brooklyn’s second first-round pick, has been diagnosed with a left shin stress reaction. The team said that his treatment options are being evaluated and that they will provide an update once his recovery plan has been determined.

Whitehead, 19, has been slowly eased into action for the franchise this season after having surgery on his right foot in the summer. As a result, he has spent the majority of his time this season with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.

Whitehead spoke to Jordan Greene of NetsDaily in the beginning of December and said in part that everyone in the Nets organization and fanbase has to be patient as he’s still regaining his athleticism after his surgeries. Whitehead noted that he has been dealing with shin splints during his recovery so this isn’t a new issue, but it seems to be something that the Nets have to try other measures to address.

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Mavs’ Dereck Lively II has ‘no doubt’ that Nets’ Dariq Whitehead will be good

Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II has ‘no doubt’ that Brooklyn Nets wing Dariq Whitehead will be good in the NBA once healthy. Credit to @NetsKingdomAJ for the video clip.

Brooklyn Nets wing Dariq Whitehead has not played a game for Brooklyn yet this season, but he has played for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Whitehead has been trying to get back to his usual form as he comes back from the foot surgeries that he’s had over the past year or so.

Whitehead, 19, has played five games for LIN and in those contests, he has averaged 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting just 28.9% from the field and 16.7% from three-point land. While his numbers have not been impressive as he works his way back from injury, Whitehead still has the support of someone who has known him for at least one year.

Dallas Maverick center Dereck Lively II, who was roommates with Whitehead at Duke University last season, believes that Whitehead will be just fine once he gets back to his pre-injury form. There’s no telling when Whitehead will start playing games for Brooklyn, but the vote of confidence from one of his former teammates should be encouraging at the least.

Lively recently appeared on a podcast under the “Tidal League” umbrella and here’s what he had to say about Whitehead:

“Dariq’s gonna be good. I have no doubt that Dariq’s gonna be good in the league (NBA). He can score, he’s a great teammate, he can pass, he can run offense, and he knows how to make the right play.”

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Nets’ Dariq Whitehead working towards 5-on-5; Dennis Smith Jr. limited

A couple of updates came from Brooklyn Nets’ practice on Sunday: Dariq Whitehead is working towards 5-on-5 and Dennis Smith Jr. is limited.

The Brooklyn Nets open their 2023-24 season on Wednesday at Barclays Center against the Cleveland Cavaliers and going into that game, the team knows who will and will not be playing. Despite it being football Sunday, there were some updates that were reported that Nets fans will be interested to know.

For starters, Dennis Smith Jr. was a limited participant in Brooklyn’s practice on Sunday, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Smith has been out of action ever since he injured his left ankle in Brooklyn’s preseason game against Maccabi Ra’anana on Oct. 12.

Also, Lewis reported that Dariq Whitehead, the Nets’ second first-round pick from the 2023 NBA Draft, is now participating in some 2-on-2 work that involves a mix of players and coaches. At the moment, Whitehead is working towards eventually playing 5-on-5. Whitehead is still recovering from surgery on his foot to address some issues that were bothering him since his freshman year at Duke.

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Nets rookie Dariq Whitehead reveals next step in injury recovery

Nets rookie Dariq Whitehead said this week that he is progressing in his recovery from a second foot surgery over the summer.

Brooklyn Nets rookie Dariq Whitehead said this week he is progressing in his recovery after undergoing a second surgery on his right foot over the summer.

Whitehead missed four games last season at Duke after undergoing surgery on the fifth metatarsal bone before the season. The bone did not heal properly, which prompted a “revision operation with bone grafting for a fifth metatarsal Jones fracture” in June.

The 22nd pick has been limited in training camp and didn’t play in the Nets’ preseason opener on Monday in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is working toward taking part in contact drills in practice, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

Nets general manager Sean Marks said last month that Whitehead is expected to play at some point this season. They knew when they drafted Whitehead there would be a chance he’d need additional time to rehab the injury, so he isn’t being rushed back to the court.

The exact role Whitehead will fill is not known, though it is possible the 19-year-old will spend time in the G League once cleared to resume basketball activities. The organization wants to bring him along slowly since he has dealt with the injury for much of the past year.

Whitehead averaged 8.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and one assist on 42.9% shooting from 3-point range last season as a freshman. He finished second in the ACC in 3-point percentage with the fifth-highest mark of any freshman in program history.

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Nets’ Cam Johnson and Dariq Whitehead sitting Monday vs. Lakers

Two players for the Brooklyn Nets, Cam Johnson and Dariq Whitehead, will not play in Monday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Brooklyn Nets have their first game of the 2023 preseason against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, but the Nets will not have the services of two players for the exhibition.

According to Evan Barnes of Newsday, Brooklyn head coach Jacque Vaughn said at Friday’s training camp practice that forward Cam Johnson and guard Dariq Whitehead will not play in Monday’s preseason game against the Lakers. Whitehead is still recovering from the foot surgery that he had this summer so it makes sense that he isn’t playing on Monday since Brooklyn does not want to rush him back.

Johnson sustained a mild strain of his left hamstring during an on-court workout last week, per the Nets’ “X” account on Monday. Brooklyn did include in the announcement that Johnson would miss the start of training camp and Johnson said during Media Day on Monday that he expects to play at some point in the preseason.

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Brooklyn Nets rookies detail ‘amazing’ experience to start season

The incoming 2023 rookie class for the Brooklyn Nets used Media Day on Monday to share their thoughts of how their experience has been.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets are a different team this time around as this current era of Nets basketball is centered around development and potential while trying to win games at the same time. Brooklyn will be interesting to follow throughout the season from multiple angles, including the progression of their rookies.

“We’ve been taking it day by day,” Dariq Whitehead, Brooklyn’s 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, said during Monday’s Media Day in response to being asked where he is in his recovery from foot surgery. The last time that Whitehead spoke publicly in August, he said that he was feeling good and that his rehab is going great so it seems that there are no setbacks as of right now.

“I got to some working out on the court, doing some running on the court but, more so not playing fives or any contact,” Whitehead continued. It looks like Whitehead will be limited throughout training camp, but it’s also good news that Brooklyn is giving him all the time that he needs to come back from his foot issue.

While Whitehead’s rehab is coming along nicely, he and the other rookies each have their own goals for what they want to accomplish this season. “I think obviously we all had a goal that we want to play,” Noah Clowney, the Nets’ 21st overall pick, said for what he envisions for himself as this season progresses.

“But, I don’t really have major goals. I want to play, I want to win games, I want to contribute,” Clowney continued. All three rookies, including Jalen Wilson, the 51st overall pick in the draft, will most likely spend the majority of their time in the G League this season. The main reason for that is because of how deep the current rotation is right now.

“I would say just be able to contribute,” Wilson said, seemingly in agreement with Clowney and Whitehead with what he’s trying to get out of the 2023-24 season. Wilson played extremely well at the summer league in Las Vegas and made All-Summer League second team as a result. Now, he’s looking to build on that momentum.

“Help contribute to building a good culture. I feel like that’s most important when you know a team wants to go out and win games, you got to have a good culture,” Wilson explained.

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3 goals for Nets’ Dariq Whitehead heading into training camp

With training camp just a few days away, here are three goals for Brooklyn Nets forward Dariq Whitehead to try to achieve.

Brooklyn Nets forward Dariq Whitehead comes into the NBA with a lot of promise as the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. A player that some felt could have been a top-10 draft pick while he was in high school, Whitehead is recovering from foot surgery to address an issue that has been bothering him since his freshman season at Duke.

It seems that Whitehead’s rehab from his foot surgery is going well and he has been seen getting shots up at Brooklyn’s practice facility. The last time that Whitehead spoke about his recovery, he said that he didn’t have a timetable for when he would be able to fully participate.

Coming into this season, the Nets should be more than okay with giving Whitehead as much time as he needs to get his foot back to 100%. With that being said, here are three goals for Whitehead to strive for heading into training camp:

Sean Marks: Rookie Dariq Whitehead will definitely play this season

Whitehead underwent a second surgery on his right foot over the summer.

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks said rookie Dariq Whitehead is expected to play this season after undergoing a second foot surgery over the summer.

Whitehead missed four games last season at Duke after undergoing surgery on the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot before the season. The bone did not heal properly, which prompted a “revision operation with bone grafting for a fifth metatarsal Jones fracture” in June.

The team knew when it drafted Whitehead with the 22nd pick in June there would be a chance he’d need additional time to rehab the injury. As a result, the franchise will not rush him back into action.

“(We) love the grit and determination that he has shown so far,” Marks said on Tuesday. “(His) rehab is going to plan and smooth. (I) wouldn’t put a timeline on when he’ll be back but the plan is that he’ll definitely be playing this year.”

The exact role Whitehead will fill is not known, though it is possible the 19-year-old will spend time in the G League once cleared to resume basketball activities. The organization wants to bring him along slowly since he has dealt with the injury for much of the past year.

Whitehead averaged 8.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and one assist on 42.9% shooting from 3-point range last season as a freshman. He finished second in the ACC in 3-point percentage with the fifth-highest mark of any freshman in program history.

The Nets open the preseason on Oct. 9 versus the Lakers in Las Vegas.

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Who has the second-highest ceiling on the Brooklyn Nets?

Brooklyn Nets wing Dariq Whitehead may not play much this season, but he arguably has the second-highest ceiling on the team.

The Brooklyn Nets will begin training camp in a little over one week from now and where the organization stands right now, there is a good mix of players who can produce and players who could produce down the line. Excluding guard Cam Thomas, who most people believe has the ceiling of all the young players on the roster, what player has the second-highest ceiling?

The answer to this question is arguably wing Dariq Whitehead. Whitehead, 19, came to the Nets as the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Duke, but the general consensus before Whitehead went to college was that he would be a top-10 pick.

What makes Whitehead’s ceiling high other than his prior history as one of the best high school players in his class is his overall profile. Standing at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, Whitehead, native of Newark, New Jersey, has prototypical wing size for the league and has the requisite athleticism to hold his own.

However, Whitehead is currently recovering from a foot issue that has plagued him since his high school days and some are skeptical of whether he can regain the form that he had in high school when he was one of the most dominant offensive players in the nation. If Whitehead can recover from his foot injury enough to be the player who was just a couple of years ago, he could be an elite scorer in due time.

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NBA 2K24: Ratings revealed for the first round of the 2023 NBA draft

The official player ratings and other features for NBA 2K24 have been unveiled as the popular video game hit stores on Friday.

The official player ratings and other features for NBA 2K24 have been unveiled as the popular video game hit stores on Friday across all platforms around the world.

The latest installment of NBA 2K features three distinct editions, each honoring Kobe Bryant. The game, for the first time, also allows for crossplay, meaning users on different gaming consoles can still play with their friends online.

In addition to many of the new features and updates unveiled in the game, fans are equally as excited to see the initial player ratings. Of course, with a new group of players set to enter the league, many are curious to see how the rookie class would be graded.

The franchise, led by marketing director Ronnie 2K, previously revealed the ratings for several first-rounders this year. With the game officially available for purchase around the world, the grades for each rookie have been unveiled.

Here are the ratings for the first round of the 2023 NBA draft.