Duke men’s basketball freshman Dariq Whitehead underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his foot Tuesday, the program announced. The injury was sustained Monday in a team workout.
Whitehead, the 2022 Naismith High School Player of the Year, will begin rehab immediately and is expected to play this fall, Duke said.
The forward graduated from Montverde Academy in Florida, where he won national championships in 2021 and 2022. At the time of his commitment to the Blue Devils, he was the No. 6 overall player and No. 3 small forward in his class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rating.
For the second straight preseason, one of Duke’s projected starters (and future lottery picks) is sidelined due to injury. The difference this time around, compared to A.J. Griffin last fall, is the timing; Whitehead still has until early November to rehab, giving him a full two months and change. He likely won’t be available for the team’s season opener on Nov. 7, but had this occurred in mid-October, we’d have been talking about this injury lingering deep into conference play.
But make no mistake: While not a worst-case scenario, Whitehead is certainly going to lose valuable practice time with the rest of Duke’s roster. That’s especially tough considering two of the team’s primary perimeter options, Tyrese Proctor and Jacob Grandison, weren’t available during the summer.
When Whitehead returns, he’ll have to sort his fit out on the fly — and the rest of the team will have to respond accordingly. Ironically, it’s those two players — Proctor and Grandison — who project to compensate for Whitehead most in the short-term. Those two were likely competing to start alongside Whitehead on the perimeter, but now they, and freshman Mark Mitchell, have an inside track to starting, as well as more playing time.
Further, Whitehead is seen as a likely one-and-done and potential lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft for obvious reasons. He ticks a lot of the boxes that NBA teams look for as a 6-foot-6 wing with good athleticism and real scoring instincts. These kinds of players are sought after in the NBA as the league moves toward a wing-heavy, versatility-focused era.
Having said that, Whitehead is not seen as a sure thing, either. He needs to hit shots and needs to maintain the powerful aggression that he regularly showcased as a straight-line driver throughout his prep career. Foot injuries can create issues on both of those fronts if any of his explosiveness is sapped.
Duke is saying that he is expected to be recovered by the fall, so there is no real cause for concern at this stage. But depending on the recovery time, this could put him a bit behind the eight ball in terms of practice time with his teammates.
You can also expect that NBA teams will certainly do their due diligence and take a close look at Whitehead’s right foot when he goes through the pre-draft process, as they do with all injuries sustained by any prospect.
(Photo: Courtesy of Duke Athletics)
