Duke basketball: Dariq Whitehead snaps back at injury critics

Duke basketball freshman Dariq Whitehead has been very open about his injury. 

Speculation roared regarding Duke basketball freshman Dariq Whitehead after the program announced he would immediately be undergoing surgery for a fractured right foot, but the wing is quickly quieting his critics.

After his surgery on Tuesday, Whitehead is expected to return to the court this fall and head coach Jon Scheyer said that he expects his star freshman back “soon”.

The Newark, New Jersey native took to Twitter to express his thoughts about his injury and recovery, which had a very positive outlook on the situation.

https://twitter.com/dariq_whitehead/status/1564761029703217153

However, some Duke fans on social media could not help but draw comparisons to other Blue Devils who have suffered lower leg injuries in the preseason which have carried over to the regular season and impacted their performances.

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Whitehead quickly snapped back at some of those critics saying that the surgery is going to help him recover from his injury quicker than if he let his foot naturally heal.

Dariq Whitehead enters Duke as one of the headliners in the top ranked recruiting class in the country as the Montverde Academy (Fla.) superstar is a five-star prospect and the No. 3 player in the Class of 2022, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Dereck Lively II is listed as the No. 2 player in the class while Kyle Filipowski is pinned as the No. 4 freshman entering college.

Duke basketball freshman already holding high accolades

Dariq Whitehead named as the Naismith High School Player of the Year for 2022 while averaging 17.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game during his senior year.

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Whitehead has the potential to be the frontrunner for ACC Freshman of the Year as well as an outside candidate to win the ACC Player of the Year and National Player of the Year.

Duke begins its season on November 7 against Jacksonville.