Dariq Whitehead arrived in Brooklyn as one of the youngest players in the history of Nets, and a former local phenomenon that is expected to bloom in an NBA height.
After a litany of injuries, Whitehead goes into his third season in search of a foot on the ground in the competition, and is not only confronted with a crucial training camp, but also a figures in its position.
The resident of Newark is still only 21, but in a tank team that goes through a youth movement with a record of five picks in the first round, Whitehead is not as young as before. To paraphrase Yogi Berra, it will be early here.
“For me I feel that this was my most important summer,” Whitehead said on the way to the training camp.
“Not being able to do what I should have done to do the past three summers, be able to train, to work on my body. Only the difference I felt from the last game from last season to now and just being able to trust my body – how comfortable I am just handling things I had done before – is just night and day.”
Injuries have robbed many of the explosion of Whitehead and hindered his career.
A broken foot led to an operation on Whitehead’s right fifth midfoot at Duke, and after it is not healed properly, he needed a second procedure with bone transplantation. The nets gambled on the local product on 22nd in the design, but a stress reaction in his left shin forced an operation to end his Rookie campaign.
Last season was marred by a knee injury and did not see much of his old explosiveness. WhiteHead skipped Summer League to work on his body and has done so, but now it has to translate that on the field, because he is confronted with a figures in his position Crunch.
“I can tell you that he has improved. You look at his body from the summer, how hard he has worked, he has already gotten better and will continue to benefit from his chances. That is a big part of it,” said Nets -coach Jordi Fernández, “This training camp and Voorseason games are important. And we want to try all our players.”
But how many of those players are in the position of Whitehead is what places him in a difficult place in the future. He spent most of his time on shooting guard, 52 percent according to cleaning the glass (30 percent on and only 15 at Small Forward).
The nets have already invested in numerous young off-guards.
Cam Thomas, 23, is their leading recurring scorer and veteran Terance Mann has just arrived in a salary dump of three years and $ 47 million for his deal. Kobe Bufkin, 22, seems to be sure that he is playing some forbidden, just like the first round Rookie-Pick Drake Powell.
And that does not even take into account fellow first Rounders Egor DUMMIN and Ben Saraf, guards leads to the ball to move the ball if necessary. The abundance of young (or locked) off-buards means that Whitehead must start producing.
The nets must take four players on standard offers by the end of the camp (one could end up at their open two -way spot).
“I am excited to see how all these different boys compete,” said Fernández. “It makes my work hard, because that means I did well and they have benefited from the opportunities. In the end we have 21. There will only be 15 on the Roster, plus three two-way. And only 10 players will play in the rotation.
“I hope they stay there and keep showing what they can do. At the end of the day, even if I make a mistake, my assistants will tell me. And if he has a chance, he will take advantage.”
You wonder how many chances of whitehead get. The nets have until October 31 to decide whether they pick up $ 5,366,912 option for next season, a hefty $ 2 million increase for a player who still has to prove.
That evidence may have to be started earlier instead of later.
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