Duke’s Dariq Whitehead Enters The NBA Draft
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke men’s basketball freshman Dariq Whitehead has announced he will enter his name in the 2023 NBA Draft.
“I’m really looking forward to this next step in my basketball career and I’m truly blessed to have this opportunity,” said Whitehead. “I’ve dreamed of these moments for so long. I can’t wait to get after it and continue preparing for the NBA Draft. I want to thank Duke University from my professors to my coaches and my teammates — I appreciate your help with everything this year. I will forever be grateful for the Brotherhood!”
Whitehead played in 28 games and made seven starts for the Blue Devils, averaging 8.3 points while shooting .421 from the field and a team-leading .424 from three-point range – the fifth best three-point percentage by a Duke freshman all-time. The Newark, N.J., native missed much of the preseason and the season’s first four games with a foot fracture and missed four games during the season with a lower leg sprain.
“It’s been a privilege to coach Dariq this year,” said head coach Jon Scheyer. “He is a guy who, you ask anybody in our program, any time you see Dariq, he’s got a big smile – just a joy to be around. And for him, he’s battled an incredible amount of adversity with the injuries that have come his way. I’m so proud of how he stuck with it and been a true team guy. Dariq is just scratching the surface on who he’s going to be. I’m right in his corner as he takes this next step and goes to the next chapter and declares for the NBA Draft, and I couldn’t be more excited for him and his family.”
Whitehead scored a career-high 18 points in a Blue Devils victory at Boston College in early January, going 6-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-8 from deep. He went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc en route to 14 points in 19 minutes in Duke’s win at Syracuse in February, which marked his eighth double-figure scoring effort in an 11-game stretch.
In the postseason, Whitehead scored 16 points against Miami in the ACC Tournament semifinals on 4-of-8 from the field and he logged four steals in the ACC Championship Game win over Virginia — matching the most by any Duke player in a game this season. Against Oral Roberts in the NCAA Tournament First Round, Whitehead scored 13 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting (3-of-3 from deep) and played a career-high 33 minutes in the second-round game against Tennessee.
The Blue Devils have had at least one player selected in 12 straight NBA drafts and in 23 of the previous 25. At least one Duke freshman has been selected in each of the last nine drafts.