The former Duke basketball one-and-done increased his career points total sixfold.
Dariq Whitehead received a career-high 24 minutes off the bench for the injury-riddled Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. Sure, the 2022-23 Duke basketball forward’s effort came in a 128-102 road loss to the Chicago Bulls. Nevertheless, in light of injuries that have plagued him since his one-and-done campaign in Durham, it constitutes a breakout performance by the former No. 22 overall draft pick.
The 20-year-old Whitehead finished with 18 points, 18 more than he scored between his only other two outings this season and six times more than his total from his two-game NBA sophomore season last go-round after sitting out his rookie year while recovering from a foot injury.
Plus, it’s worth noting that he led the Nets in scoring and 3-point splashes, shooting 6-for-10 beyond the arc while adding two rebounds, one assist, two steals, one block, and only one turnover.
And Whitehead, who averaged 8.3 points and delivered a team-high 42.9 shooting percentage from deep across 28 Duke basketball games under then-first-year head coach Jon Scheyer, posted a Nets-high plus/minus of -3 among the squad’s nine players who saw at least 15 minutes of action against the Bulls.
Whitehead and the Brooklyn Nets (9-13) are now preparing to host the Indiana Pacers (9-12) at 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday.