Why This Young Talent Won't be Joining The Nets in the Summer League

When looking over the Brooklyn Nets' NBA Summer League roster, fans may have been confused by the absence of Dariq Whitehead. After all, he’s still just 20 years old, and while he’s flashed real potential, there’s clearly still room for some growth.

As it turns out, Whitehead actually expected to participate. But after discussions between the Nets front office and his agents at Excel Sports, the decision was made for Whitehead to focus on individualized training and skill development, as reported by Bryan Lewis of the New York Post. With this being his first healthy offseason in years, both sides felt it was the right time to prioritize a tailored approach to his progression.

“Obviously at the end of last season I was getting ready to prepare for summer league,” Whitehead mentioned. “it was just something that I guess my agent talked to Sean about and they were [thinking] more so get my body ready and prepare for training camp and next season.”

Since being named the National High School Player of the Year and MVP of the McDonald's All-American Game, Dariq Whitehead has faced his share of obstacles. 

He suffered a Jones fracture that required surgery before he even played a minute at Duke. After leading the Blue Devils in three-point percentage upon his return, the former No.1 overall recruit was selected by the Nets with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Shortly after, he underwent a second surgery on the same foot. He went on to appear in just two games as a rookie before a season-ending stress fracture in his shin cut his year short, also requiring surgery.

This season, Whitehead was able to remain healthy and appeared in 20 games for the Nets, averaging 5.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He flashed the offensive potential that once made him the No. 1 player in the country during a game against the Chicago Bulls, setting a career high with 18 points while knocking down six three-pointers, shooting 54.5% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc.

He also spent time with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, where he averaged 12.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists through 17 games. His best game in the G League came against the Osceola Magic on Feb.23, when he scored 30 points and made eight three-pointers while bringing down six rebounds. He was also impressively efficient that game, shooting 66.7% from three-point range and 64.7% from the field.