Dariq Whitehead injured his foot during a team workout on Monday and has already undergone surgery to repair the injury. The incoming freshman is now out indefinitely but is expected to return sometime “this fall” as he begins rehab immediately. Foot injuries are incredibly tricky and can cause issues with their ability to heal. The good news for Duke is they seem confident Whitehead won’t miss much if any time this season with nearly two and a half months before the season kicks off.
Whitehead is expected to be one of the best freshmen in the country this season coming in as a top-two player in the class of 2022. With that, he’s seen as a pretty consensus top-ten, if not top-five pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Duke is going to be pretty young and Whitehead was expected to be one of their bus drivers. It will be interesting to see just how much preseason practice he will miss while in rehab and if there will be any rust to shake off if he starts the season a bit late.
Trust me I will be back soon stronger and better than ever???
— Dariq whitehead (@dariq_whitehead) August 30, 2022
Whitehead is quite the player, he’s good all-around combined with great athleticism. It’s easy to see why he was the number two player in his class when you consider he’s got the brain, the movement ability combined with a good jumper out to the three-point line. On top of it all, he’s a willing rebounder and defender, something that not all top recruits at his age give much attention to. All of this explains just why he was named Naismith High School Player of the Year and has all the expectations in the world for this upcoming season and beyond.
