Brooklyn Nets draft Dariq Whitehead in 2023 NBA Draft

The Brooklyn Nets have drafted former Duke SF Dariq Whitehead with the No. 22 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Whitehead played in 28 games for the Blue Devils this season, starting in seven of them. He averaged 20.7 minutes per game on the floor for Jon Scheyer’s squad where he averaged 8.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game and shot 40.7 percent from three.

The 6-foot-7 freshman out of Newark, NJ was a former was the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2022 recruiting class, per the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.

He was only ranked behind his now-former Blue Devils teammate Derick Lively II, and played his high school hoops at Montverde Academy.

Before Duke, the 18-year-old won Mr. Basketball USA, was named the 2022 Naismith Prep Player of the Year while also being the McDonald’s All-American Game MVP in the same year. He dominated at Montverde and had strong showings at the Nike Hoops Summit and the Jordan Brand Classic that led to his No. 2 overall ranking,

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Dariq Whitehead

According to Whitehead’s NBA Draft scouting report, the former Duke freshman has one of the highest upsides in the entire draft. If he can stay healthy, the sky is the limit for Whitehead in the NBA.

“Whitehead’s game possesses serious explosiveness and attacking that was not displayed at Duke. He is likely better perceived from his pre-college film than his Duke film. Whitehead has a tall, thick, muscular frame that allows him to absorb contact, and he can work both on and off the ball, “Whitehead’s NBA Draft scouting report reads.”

“Defensively, he has off-ball instincts and a long wingspan to jump in passing lanes and get some blocks.”

His projection speaks very highly of him, too, despite his injuries at Duke. In the long-run, he’s expected to have a long, successful NBA career compared to most of his peers in this year’s draft cycle.

“Whitehead is a lottery-level talent. He’s projected to be healthy for the start of the upcoming season. He missed time early in his career with foot injuries, but a silver lining is its positive impact on his shooting craft and footwork. … Whitehead’s ceiling is among the highest in the draft,” the report writes.