Forget the Nets’ current three-game losing streak. Throw win projections out the window. This season was always meant to be about player development. Identifying who the “next Nets” are, as general manager Sean Marks said at Media Day. Head coach Jordi Fernandez built his entire staff with that goal in mind, and they are getting the job done.
Dariq Whitehead’s breakout performance in Monday’s 128-102 road loss to the Chicago Bulls offers further evidence that Marks made the right hire, and that the franchise is tracking toward a better future. Whitehead’s path to extended minutes in the NBA has been turbulent. The injuries in college at Duke. Two appearances as a rookie. Season-ending surgery last January to address a stress reaction in his left shin. The grueling months of rehab that followed, then a rough showing at Las Vegas Summer League.
But against the Bulls, the 20-year-old finally had a moment, finishing with a team-high 18 points in just under 24 minutes. He added two rebounds, one assists, two steals and one block, and turned the ball over only once. He also went 6-for-10 from 3-point range. Fernandez and his staff — and the G League coaches on Long Island — coached him up, and the former first-round pick stepped up when his number was called.
The total points, 3-pointers made, and steals Whitehead recorded on Monday were all career bests. Forget the final score. Progress like this is what matters most.
“I think it was more so about coming in and doing the small things, if that was rebounding early or taking on the best defensive assignments,” Whitehead said. “I knew the offense part would come to me if I did the small things that coach wanted, and I feel that it’s just [about] staying ready…. making sure when my name was called, I was able to go out there and give something towards the team.”
Monday was Whitehead’s fifth career appearance. He averaged 13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists across six G League appearances this season while shooting 34.6% from the field and 34.1% from 3-point range. The Nets picked up his third-year option in October.
Cam Thomas, Jalen Wilson, Noah Clowney, Ziaire Williams and Keon Johnson have all showcased the developmental strides they have made as NBA players this season. You can throw a veteran like Cam Johnson into that mix, too.
Monday was Whitehead’s turn to prove just how far he has come. This season will have no shortage of opportunities. Who will be next?
“I asked him to be ready to shoot, to play like he knows what we’re about and what we’re trying to do,” Fernandez said of Whitehead. “Just don’t overthink it and do it, and he did an amazing job… But the reality is, he put the work in, the coaches that he works with, the medical performance, he got healthy. Obviously, I’m happy to see that.”
