Nets select Dariq Whitehead with 22nd pick

With the No. 22 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Brooklyn Nets have selected Duke wing Dariq Whitehead.

Whitehead doesn't turn 19 until August, making him one of the youngest players in this year's draft. He averaged only 8.3 points in his lone season at Duke, but he shot 42.9% from beyond the arc and could be one of the best shooters in this class. He's an excellent spot-up threat and can catch-and-go to create mid-range pull-up jumpers. However, Whitehead rarely drove to the rim in college.

The main concern about Whitehead is his recurring foot injury. He was a consensus top-three player in his recruiting class but suffered a broken bone in his foot last August that sidelined him to begin the 2022-23 campaign. Whitehead had a second surgery on his foot in May because the initial injury didn't heal properly, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. While Whitehead is expected to be ready for training camp, the potential long-term impact of his foot issues may have caused some teams to pass on him.

Bio

Position: Guard/forward
School: Duke
College experience: Freshman
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 217 lbs
Wingspan: 6-foot-10
Max vertical: N/A

2022-23 stats with Duke

Strengths

• Excellent spot-up shooter with a quick release and good shooting form. Will space the floor as a catch-and-shoot threat even if his usage is low.
• Comfortable making plays off the catch; solid pull-up mid-range shooter,
• Potential to be a threat as an off-ball mover due to his shooting, though he didn't showcase that very often at Duke.
• Great size and length for his position; solid on-ball perimeter defender against big wings, slides to stay in front of his man, and uses his long arms to contest.

Weaknesses

• Not a good finisher at the rim. Rarely goes through contact, extremely low free-throw rate. Not very explosive or athletic, likely in part due to the lingering foot injury.
• Doesn't create shots for others. He rarely drew help defenders and found open teammates, almost entirely just looked for his own shot.
• Not an active rebounder despite size.
• Recurring injuries cast doubt on whether he'll regain the athleticism and burst that made him a top prospect coming out of high school.

NBA comparable: AJ Griffin. Whitehead's college stats are almost identical to the numbers put up by Griffin, another Duke one-and-done, in his rookie season with the Atlanta Hawks. As a first-round pick just a year ago, Griffin is still finding his way in the pros, but he's already proven to be a terrific catch-and-shoot player. Whitehead will likely make a similar immediate impact as a floor spacer off the bench. However, both players need to round out their games more. They rarely get to the rim and aren't good playmakers despite the pressure they put on defenses with their shooting. Like Whitehead, injuries were a big question mark for Griffin going into the draft.