The Brooklyn Nets are embarking on a rebuild where they will prioritize the development of their recent draft picks and the other young players on the team. One of the players on the roster that Brooklyn will be keeping an eye on is 2023 first-round pick Dariq Whitehead, a player who is still working on his recovery from injury.

“I’m just happy running up and down the court. Last year I was on crutches here and had to walk in boots,” Whitehead said last month at the Las Vegas Summer League when discussing his shooting issues. In his first appearance in Vegas since missing his rookie season due to foot surgery, Whitehead didn’t play the way many Nets fans had hoped on offense.

“It’s a huge blessing for me to just be able to be out there with the guys and not watch them,” Whitehead explained. “I don’t want to focus on hits and misses right now, but I want to make sure I work through things. I know once I get going and get back on my feet, I’m going to get hits. That’s what I’m doing.”

This summer, Whitehead played four games for the Nets in summer league, and while he seemed to be mostly physically fit, he only shot 14.6% from the field and 5.0% from three-pointers. While Whitehead hasn’t played the way he hoped this summer, it’s good to know he still has enough confidence to get the job done.