EXCLUSIVE: Nets' Dariq Whitehead opens up on G League journey as former five-star recruit

12/21/2024 03:18 PM

Brooklyn Nets guard Dariq Whitehead expected his NBA career to take him many places. The G League wasn't one of them.

A top-three recruit in the Class of 2022, Whitehead appeared to be on the fast track to stardom when he committed to Duke. However, lower leg injuries derailed his freshman season. The Nets took a chance on the New Jersey native with the No. 22 pick in the 2023 draft.

Three surgeries later, he's attempting to regain his form in the G League.

After missing most of his rookie season, Whitehead has shown glimpses of high-level two-way play with the Long Island Nets in 2024-25. However, it's clear he still has far to go to reach the potential many thought he had coming out of high school.

The 20-year-old has averaged 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals on 36/30/77 shooting splits over 11 G League appearances. His most encouraging moment of the season came during his lone NBA opportunity.

With Brooklyn battling several injuries, the Nets called Whitehead's number during a Dec. 2 matchup with the Chicago Bulls. He was the team’s lone bright spot during a blowout loss, scoring 18 points while knocking down 6-of-10 three-point attempts. It was a brief look at the potential Brooklyn fans had been waiting to see since the team selected the 6-foot-6 wing.

Dariq Whitehead in his fifth-career @NBA game last night:

18 PTS (career-high) | 6 3PM | 2 STL pic.twitter.com/wzG7QhCAT5

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 3, 2024

Whitehead returned to Long Island following the performance, turning in several 20-point games over the last two weeks. He sat down with ClutchPoints for an exclusive interview at the G League Winter Showcase in Orlando.

ClutchPoints exclusive with Nets’ Dariq Whitehead

CP: What are the top goals you're trying to accomplish during these G-League appearances?

Whitehead: "For me, it's more so playing the right way. Jordi emphasized taking the shots that I'll take up there in Brooklyn. Obviously everyone knows I'm a talented scorer, can score in a lot of ways, but it's more so for me just keeping it simple. Not trying to get to stepback threes and stuff up here and knowing when I get with Brooklyn I might not have the opportunity to get those stepback threes. It might be a lot more catch-and-shoot. So just playing the right way, the way the coaches are emphasizing, and just creating the right habits."

CP: How are you feeling about where you're at physically after last season's surgery? Are you nearly all the way back or do you feel you still have a ways to go?

Whitehead: "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. There's a lot of things that changed in my day-to-day routine with me not having to cater to my body as much. Just going out there and getting better with time. I finally where I need to be. The last step is just going out there and dunking on somebody, then I'll be back."

CP: What has been the biggest challenge you've had to overcome while returning from multiple lower leg surgeries?

Whitehead: "For me, it was confidence. When you're regarded as a top guy coming out, supposed to be a top-five pick in the draft, and then you get hurt and have all these surgeries, you start to forget who you are. When I came back from that first injury and played in that summer league, my confidence was very low. I didn't look to take a lot of shots, and if I did, they weren't the best shots, I felt. So it's just getting in the rhythm. I feel like I'm starting to find that rhythm out here."

CP: You've played at the highest level possible at every step of your basketball career. What's it like being a high draft pick spending extended time in the G League? Is it difficult to accept?

Whitehead: "Everybody can take it differently. For me, I look at it as a blessing. I look forward to the pressure. Obviously when you go to the G League everyone wants to go at you. But if you look at the stats, I've been having my best stretch of the year. It's just more so the mindset you come down here with knowing everybody's gonna attack you, knowing that they're gonna be after you and you gotta give them your best fight back."

CP: What has the messaging been from the Nets coaching staff and front office about what they're hoping to see from you this season?

Whitehead: "Right now, they just want me down here playing games. I've missed two years of playing basketball. They want me to just get a lot of games under my belt and build the right habits so that when I come to Brooklyn and it's time to play for good, there's no missing steps."

CP: The Nets have had multiple players spend extended time in the G League before going on to have substantial NBA roles. Is that comforting or something you've reflected on?

Whitehead: "For sure, especially when you got the GM Sean Marks and then Jordi and those guys reassuring me. They're constantly reassuring me that this is for me to get reps, for me to come down here and get better, get a feel. When you hear your coach and GM saying stuff like that, it gives you confidence. I just come down here and attack it with the same mindset I would if I was in Brooklyn."

CP: You had a big game with the Nets in Chicago. Was that an important moment for you when you think about how your game can translate at the next level?

Whitehead: "It was huge moment. Coming into the year, I had a great training camp. Dennis Schroder, obviously he just got traded, but those guys, they saw what I can do. He was really excited about the way I was playing in training camp. When I came up and had my number called, he was one of the guys who told me, 'Hey, if you get it, shoot it. Let it go.' And when you hear probably our best on-ball playmaker saying shoot it when you get it, you're gonna have a lot of confidence. So I was just going in there with a lot of confidence and shots were going in that day. It was a good game."

CP: What was your reaction to the Dennis trade?

Whitehead: "It's my second year now, so I'm a little used to it. Last year, I was really surprised about a lot of things that happened, it being my first year in the league. But it's a business, I understand that. The way I look at it is another opportunity for another young guy to come in and step up and contribute towards this season. So if that's me later, or if that's me within the next week or two, it is what it is. You gotta come in and be ready. Jordi expects you to play like you've been with Brooklyn the entire time."

CP: Did you expect to remain with Brooklyn after that Chicago performance? What has that dialogue been like with the coaching staff and front office?

Whitehead: "I was very clear with my agent that I needed to continue to play. I knew we had some guys that were injured, some older guys, and I knew they were gonna come back and get back in the rotation. So I was very adamant with my agent that I needed to go back down to the G League and play. That was a big boost for me. Even after that Chicago game, I came back down to the G League and had like a 21-point game. So it's just big for me to continue to play. I feel like it's good for me. If I was older, of course it would be good for me to wanna stay with Brooklyn, since I just had a good game. But for me right now, I just turned 20-years-old, so I just gotta continue to get games under my belt and get that rhythm and continue to build those habits and play the right way."

CP: You emphasized to the front office that you wanted to be in the G League?

Whitehead: "Yeah, me and my agent were very adamant that I had to continue to play games. And we were on the same page with Sean Marks and those guys, knowing that I needed to continue to get reps in these games."

CP: When you think about your future, what are the primary skills you hope to bring to the table at the NBA level?

Whitehead: "Honestly, I just feel like I still haven't scratched my surface. There's just a lot of things right now, everyone's saying [he's a] shooter. For me, that had never been my best strong suit. So for me, it's just coming in and being a pest on-ball [defensively]. I showed some glimpses obviously in the Chicago game, just picking up, getting steals, and stuff like that. And on ball [offensively], being a hell of a playmaker. I have a nose for just making the right play, being a really great passer. But obviously, as room comes and as you get more comfortable with playing with those older guys, I'll be able to show that further into the season. But right now, just more so coming in and doing what I need to do, which is making shots and defending to get more time and get more opportunities on the court."

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