For Newark native Dariq Whitehead, endurance is the secret.
Whitehead needed to be affected person throughout Thursday evening’s NBA Draft, when commissioner Adam Silver known as 21 names earlier than the Nets chosen the three-and-D wing out of Duke with the No. 22 total choose.
He was not invited to The Green Room — the place the highest draft prospects collect to await their massive second on draft evening.
“I’m a big believer in things happen for a reason, and God has everything set in the right path, so it’s definitely gonna fuel the extra motivation, but I’m just here to think about what’s here now,” he stated. “I’m here to focus on the future, so I’ve gotta put that behind me and help try to contribute to this team and winning basketball as much as possible. So I’ve pretty much gotta put that behind me.”
Even extra endurance will probably be required — each from Whitehead and the Nets — as he navigates a proper foot damage that has required two surgical procedures up to now yr.
Whitehead addressed the media Friday afternoon, 12 hours after his identify was known as, carrying a strolling boot on his proper leg. He underwent a process on the fifth metatarsal bone in his proper foot in August, however after assembly with a number of foot specialists and discovering his foot didn’t heal correctly following the primary surgical procedure, he opted for a second.
Whitehead won’t take part in Summer League however is predicted to be in motion for the beginning of coaching camp. The Nets don’t plan to hurry Whitehead onto the court docket.
“I think we’ll take it slow, and be very systematic with how we bring him back,” Nets basic supervisor Sean Marks stated on Friday. “He’s 19, so let’s be very measured in the process. I have the utmost faith in our doctors. … There’s absolutely no rush to do this. We’ll work hand in hand with Dariq. He’ll be the one guiding us as well.”
Whitehead, nevertheless, is raring to make his mark, wanting to show fallacious the groups who missed him earlier than the Nets scooped him up outdoors of the draft lottery. He averaged eight factors per sport at Duke in his lone freshman season however shot a powerful 43% clip from downtown on a median of three.5 three-point makes an attempt per sport. Sweetening the pot is Whitehead’s defensive potential at 6-7, 220 kilos. He additionally possesses the power to create his personal shot off the bounce, usually displaying a step-back three by means of his 28 video games at Duke.
“It doesn’t matter where you get picked. It’s what you do now. I can only imagine had he been at strength, he would’ve gone a lot higher,” Marks stated of Whitehead. “But it gives us the conviction when we’re drafting a guy like that to know, hey, we had a young man come through here, Caris LeVert, who had been through similar injuries. We’re very comfortable with one, the person, the chip on his shoulder, and the performance team and coaching staff here, will get him back to where he needs to be. No doubt about that.”
Whitehead sought recommendation from Boston Celtics MVP candidate Jayson Tatum, a former Blue Devil who suffered an damage to the fourth metatarsal as a freshman on a Duke professional day in entrance of fifty NBA scouts.
“His main thing was just being patient,” Whitehead recalled. “You know when the right time is to come back, you know your body; that was his main message. And that’s kind of what I tried to apply, you know, just making sure I know my body and doing it right because it’s the second time.”
The Nets’ rookie is happy to assault his rehab course of.
“I think I can definitely get back to that guy who I was,” he stated. “I feel like people definitely tend to think that I’m not athletic, and that was due to me pretty much playing on one leg. But I feel like I can definitely show the athletic part, and then really my playmaking. I feel like once I get 100% I can go back to showing how well I can really be a great on-ball playmaker.”
He’s additionally excited to be again dwelling. Well, near dwelling.
Whitehead remembers the Nets after they have been in New Jersey, not Brooklyn, and after they performed on the Prudential Center — not his new dwelling at Barclays. He has a number of members of the family who nonetheless stay within the space and expects much more assist from his pals when he lastly fits up in a Nets jersey.
“The Nets being here, it’s still pretty much home — it’s just a 20-minute, 30-minute drive over the bridge,” he stated. “I’m just excited for my family to be able to attend a lot of games and have that support I had going in before high school.”
There isn’t any agency goal date, nevertheless, for Whitehead to lastly placed on the No. 7 in black and grey and play actual minutes for the Nets. Year one for the Nets’ rookie will probably be outlined by his endurance with the method.
“It’s very difficult. You know, you get drafted, you want to get out there with new teammates, you wanna show what you can do, you know, create that bond,” he stated. “But, like I said, injuries happen. And sometimes, it’s something I gotta take my time on and make sure I get it to 100%.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com