Dariq Whitehead has had a turmoil-filled freshman season. He came in as the top recruit in his high school class and was seen as a probable top-five pick. Most thought he would be the primary creator for a Duke team that is perennially one of the best in the country. He has a strong feel for shot-making and is a fluid ball handler with good athletic tools but in college, these skills did not translate. He had an injury during the held training camp prior to the season. This setback held him out for the first few weeks of the year and when he returned he did not look himself. His athleticism looked sapped and he appeared a lot more slow-footed. He regained his athletic ability slowly throughout his season but he never got close to how he looked in high school. The mental part of his creation ability was still there but he just couldn’t get to his spots fast enough. He usually uses a lot of tricky ball-handling moves like side steps and step-backs but without his normal lateral movement speed, he wasn’t able to get enough space from his opponents' coverage. Duke was forced to use him as an off-ball shooter and he did very well in his smaller role. He shot 41% from three with a majority of his shots coming in from behind the arc. The sample size may not be huge due to missed games and limited usage but I buy the shot. It’s the only place on the court where he looked confident. The release and setup are both smooth with those currently being some of the only fast elements of his game. He adapted nicely to his new utilization. He relocates around the court intelligently. He wasn’t very good when shooting the ball off of movement but he makes quick decisions to get a spot. He also shot very well from behind the line. Despite the fact that he wasn’t able to do a lot, Duke kept him on the floor in crunch time due to his ability to hit shots from the perimeter and because of his consistency in shooting free throws. His rate was only around one free throw attempt per game but the percentage is still encouraging. His shooting is legit and he could look even better if he can regain some of his athletic ability so that he could give his shot more room. He has also been alright as an off-ball cutter. He can come in and get a basket off of open lanes but struggles when there’s too much traffic. He only shot around 50% around the rim but this was in part due to the fact that there wasn’t a ton of spacing on the floor around him. In transition, he works as a connective piece when running down the court but isn’t usually the slasher due to his inability to get to the rim in chaotic situations. His passing instincts are alright but he isn’t a real playmaker. I like that he doesn’t keep the ball in his hands for too long but this could be because of negative factors like lack of confidence or compliance in a system that somewhat cut him out. Defensively he would occasionally struggle with keeping in front of people especially early on, but he made up for that in other ways. It seems to me that he was pretty aware that he couldn’t keep up with other, more athletic players, and instead alternatively focused on his defensive attentiveness and effort. He played defense with a lot more tenacity at Duke than he did in high school. This increase in energy may be due to a smaller offensive load but I think it’s a result of a mental shift. He used his physicality a lot more and wasn’t afraid of moving his weight around to push opponents. His defense wasn’t reliant on his frame but he used it as a tool to help him against larger players and mismatches. Dariq has the potential to be a two-way creator but had some glaring issues. We have seen how this story has played out with some prospects in the past few years that underperformed due to injuries like Brandon Boston and AJ Griffin. He could be next in line to be a big-time steal. He showed all the makings of a star player and a team could buy into him as a discount talent with a lot of upside.

Dariq Whitehead is a top-wing prospect in the draft. He’s currently at Duke and made his season debut a bit late due to a broken foot. He should still be a lottery pick in the draft. He’s a great athlete with improved shooting. He’s developing at a rapid rate and his work ethic is great. He’s got a pretty good frame and a big wingspan. He's a great athlete. He's becoming more and more consistent from 3 by the day. He's an elite defensive prospect who looks like he can guard both guards and wings. His right foot fracture did cause him to fall down draft boards. He was a great shooter, shooting 42/43/79. He is the third youngest player in the class. He's a great catch and shoot player. He has solid mechanics. He has high scoring and defensive upside. He should be an average defender in the NBA AT MINIMUM. He's a good playmaker. His driving and rim game isn't great. He shot only 50% at the rim which might be due to his injury. There were certain plays where he seemingly fell asleep on defense and made dumb mistakes.

Moe Harkless with better perimeter shooting potential. Lance Stephenson with more athleticism. Injuries have really zapped a lot of his athleticism seen during his high school days. Currently recovering from his second surgery on his foot. Mostly a catch-and-shoot prospect with some scoring potential. Lack of athleticism and burst really hurt his driving ability and finishing at the rim. Defensive consistency is also an issue.