Many were projecting Dariq Whitehead as a Top 10 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft at this time last year. After a foot fracture derailed his freshman season, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard/small forward fell to the Brooklyn Nets at 21st overall Thursday.

The second-ranked player in the class of 2022 out of the prestigious Montverde Academy, Whitehead made a name for himself as an elite scorer on the AAU circuit. However, he averaged just 8.3 points on 42.1 percent shooting at Duke, primarily serving as a catch-and-shoot threat while limited as a ball handler and finisher.

Whitehead's medicals and athleticism remain question marks following the first-round selection. However, the former McDonald's All-American Game MVP said Friday that he was “playing on one leg” last season and is ready to silence the doubters:

“I think I can definitely get back to that guy who I was. I feel like people tend to think that I’m not athletic from last year. That was due to me pretty much playing on one leg,” he said. “I feel like I can definitely show the athletic part, and then really my playmaking. I feel like once I get back to 100 percent I can go back to showing back how I can be a great on-ball playmaker.”

While Whitehead struggled as a finisher while primarily playing below the rim last season, there is no shortage of athleticism on his high school tape:

Plays like this inspired confidence within the Nets' draft room that he would have been a lottery pick if not for his injury. Brooklyn's performance team has experience with foot fractures, having rehabbed Caris LeVert back from a similar injury following the 2016 draft. Sean Marks said that familiarity inspires confidence about Whitehead's trajectory:

“Had he been at full strength, he would’ve gone a lot higher,” the GM said. “It gives us the conviction when we’re drafting a guy like that to know we’ve been through this process before. We’ve had a young man through here, Caris LeVert, who had been through similar foot injuries. We’re very comfortable with the person, the chip on his shoulder, and the performance team and coaching staff here to get him back to where he needs to get to. I have no doubt about that.”

Nets team orthopedist Martin O'Malley recently performed Whitehead's second surgery. The first-round selection said O'Malley provided an outline for his recovery based on LeVert's experience. He also said he frequently spoke with Celtics star Jayson Tatum last season, who dealt with a similar foot injury while at Duke:

“The main player I talked to about the injury was Jayson Tatum, and that's because at Duke he had a similar injury, except it was his fourth metatarsal,” Whitehead said. “His main thing was just being patient. You know when the right time is to come back, you know your body… That’s kind of what I try to apply, just making sure I know my body and doing it right the second time.”

In addition to his untapped potential as a shot-creator, Whitehead was one of the draft's top floor-spacers last season, shooting 43 percent from deep on 3.5 attempts per game.

At 18 years old, Whitehead is the second-youngest draft pick in Nets franchise history. Standing 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, the Newark Native's blend of shot-creation, floor spacing and defense presents one of the highest ceilings of any non-lottery pick. However, all of that is contingent on his foot healing correctly.

While O'Malley said Whitehead would be ready for training camp, Marks emphasized a patient, calculated approach when speaking about the first-round selection's NBA timeline:

“We’ll take it slow and be very systematic with how we bring him back,” Marks said. “He’s not yet 19, so let’s be very measured in the process. I have the utmost faith for sure in our doctors. We’ve mentioned Dr. O’Malley and he’ll be guiding this with the performance team.”

“There’s absolutely no rush to do this.”