Scheyer says Whitehead not done for season

[CameronBlue]

I promised that kid a mixed tape. I hope he likes The Carpenters.

[kako]

Great news, especially for Whitehead! I know I was scared just by his reaction after going down. it seemed terrible. But perhaps he was just more scared than anyone given his earlier injury.

I'm sure they will bring him along carefully as not to risk his draft status. In the meantime, all the thoughts in other strings about life without Whitehead are still in play. But I look forward to when he can be part of the rotation again. On the one hand, having a viable player in the rotation will help. On the other hand, the progress that Whitehead was making is stalled... again. But bottom line, his health and welfare should be priority #1.

9F

[kAzE]

Oh thank God. I was prepared for the worst. No more injuries please, we've had our share.

[miramar]

Oh thank God. I was prepared for the worst. No more injuries please, we've had our share.

According to the law of averages, we should be healthy the rest of this season and probably next season as well.

[gumbomoop]

Where do you come up with these percentages? There are simply too many variables at this point in time. If he just misses one or two games and does not lose very much conditioning, he could be right back to where he was. If he misses a month and loses his conditioning, it could take a while to come back.

My money is on the former! 99% 😉

Oh, the %s are merely my personal opinion, not stats. As to "right back where he was," his first injury and subsequent illness led me to think it would take more than a few weeks to be at his best. Now he's had another setback, which presumably will further postpone his getting back to whatever he can be this season. I think the "confidence-tentativeness" issue is the big, big variable. In this early Jan post from the Whitehead thread, we're told Whitehead's tough-love family told him "no more excuses," and that he felt things were "all good now."

Some info from The Athletic's Duke beat writer, Brendan Marks

@BrendanRMarks
Dariq Whitehead says that he's feeling 100% recovered now, including mentally. Was a little more cautious earlier on in the recovery process, like with landing on his foot, but all good now.
Feels like he can cut/defend/play overall like he used to.

Whitehead added that when he went home for holiday break, he got some "tough love" from family, telling him (basically) that time for excuses was over.
Jon Scheyer adds that he's seen a different, renewed level of focus from Whitehead since he returned, too.

But his play since then has been inconsistent, very good at times, obviously tentative and lacking full confidence at other times. I simply doubt he was mentally, confidence-wise, "all good" even before hurting his leg against VT.

[billy]

Interesting language in the news - per the Chronicle article, "Whitehead had an MRI that revealed no structural damage". Technically, a strain would show up on an MRI as structural damage to the muscle itself or it's attachment to the achilles tendon. For that matter, an achilles tear is still a strain, just a grade III strain (i.e. fully torn). That said, sometimes people (even MD's) say there's no structural damage to indicate that the BIG things we'd be worried about (such as achilles tears, fractures, knee or ankle ligament injuries like high-ankle sprains) are not present on the scan. Read literally, the comment could indicate that it was just a cramp.

[chrishoke]

Interesting language in the news - per the Chronicle article, "Whitehead had an MRI that revealed no structural damage". Technically, a strain would show up on an MRI as structural damage to the muscle itself or it's attachment to the achilles tendon. For that matter, an achilles tear is still a strain, just a grade III strain (i.e. fully torn). That said, sometimes people (even MD's) say there's no structural damage to indicate that the BIG things we'd be worried about (such as achilles tears, fractures, knee or ankle ligament injuries like high-ankle sprains) are not present on the scan. Read literally, the comment could indicate that it was just a cramp.

A cramp that keeps you from playing in a game 5 days later?

[lotusland]

As a Whitehead enthusiast, I’ve thought since mid-Dec that it would be mid-Feb before he got back to maybe 90% of his great potential. Then after he experienced an illness-related second interruption in Dec, I began to think, ok, late-Feb.. Then watching him shoot pretty well and make a few very nice passes, but be very tentative driving, I thought he might not reach 90% all season.

This latest setback, although it may last but a few games, leads me to wonder whether he’ll (understandably?) continue to play (what appears to me and some other posters) tentatively the rest of the season. If so, I’m skeptical he’ll reach what I’d think of as 80% of his potential, much less 90%. But obviously (I think it’s obvious to most) he’s shown enough that he can be an important asset, even if not a go-to guy the rest of the season.

Like everyone here, I want him to be able mentally to play confidently and assertively at both ends of the court.

I read a article linked on another thread - I think it was the 2023 draft thread - that referred to Whitehead having limited athleticism or something to that effect. I was surprised to read that but it would explain the missed dunk. The same article also praised Lively’s rebounding so it might not here been a reliable source .

[sagegrouse]

Interesting language in the news - per the Chronicle article, "Whitehead had an MRI that revealed no structural damage". Technically, a strain would show up on an MRI as structural damage to the muscle itself or it's attachment to the achilles tendon. For that matter, an achilles tear is still a strain, just a grade III strain (i.e. fully torn). That said, sometimes people (even MD's) say there's no structural damage to indicate that the BIG things we'd be worried about (such as achilles tears, fractures, knee or ankle ligament injuries like high-ankle sprains) are not present on the scan. Read literally, the comment could indicate that it was just a cramp.

I like it when the board-certified folks weigh in on this Board.

[billy]

A cramp that keeps you from playing in a game 5 days later?

I don't have any inside information about Whitehead. I have no idea whether he'll play Saturday or not (aside from what the media reported Scheyer saying). If it was a cramp, hypothetically, then yes, he could play inside of 5 days. That said, I never said I thought he had a cramp, I was just pointing out that a cramp would meet the published scenario where the MRI scan showed no structural damage. That's why I was musing about the phrasing of today's information - obviously it is good news compared to our initial fears, but it leaves a lot of wiggle room. I have personally seen a freshman who was a lottery pick with literally no identifiable damage on MRI who was out much longer than five days, for example.

[lotusland]

I read a article linked on another thread - I think it was the 2023 draft thread - that referred to Whitehead having limited athleticism or something to that effect. I was surprised to read that but it would explain the missed dunk. The same article also praised Lively’s rebounding so it might not here been a reliable source .

Quoting my own post to link the article I referenced from the 2023 draft thread

https://fansided.com/2023/01/16/nba-...amen-thompson/

Dariq Whitehead just checks a lot of boxes. At 6-foot-7, he provides good size and physicality on the wing. He takes pride in his defense and is switch-friendly. On offense, he’s a fairly crafty and dynamic shot-maker who makes an effort to move the ball and get teammates involved. His limited athleticism is a mark against him, and he will have to work hard to shed the “streaky” label that preceded his arrival at Duke, but the base skill set is quite tantalizing. After struggling out of the gates upon his return from injury, Whitehead is starting to look more like the prospect scouts expected coming out of high school.

[brevity]

Interesting language in the news - per the Chronicle article, "Whitehead had an MRI that revealed no structural damage". Technically, a strain would show up on an MRI as structural damage to the muscle itself or it's attachment to the achilles tendon. For that matter, an achilles tear is still a strain, just a grade III strain (i.e. fully torn). That said, sometimes people (even MD's) say there's no structural damage to indicate that the BIG things we'd be worried about (such as achilles tears, fractures, knee or ankle ligament injuries like high-ankle sprains) are not present on the scan. Read literally, the comment could indicate that it was just a cramp.

I like it when the board-certified folks weigh in on this Board.

Duke Basketball Report forum experts: board-certified doctors
Inside Carolina forum experts: drank questionable moonshine in front of a Holiday Inn Express last night

[JayZee]

Quoting my own post to link the article I referenced from the 2023 draft thread

https://fansided.com/2023/01/16/nba-...amen-thompson/

I may have linked that article.

I think “limited athleticism” is relative to the elite 6-5 to 6-7 wings in the NBA that dunk anytime they are near the rim. While I think Darin’s missed dunk was just a misstep or something, he is clearly not a Vince Carter or Gerald Henderson type athlete. Doesn’t mean he won’t be a good pro.

And for Lively, I think all the hoovering of rebounds is a hope, not an observation. Frankly, I hope to see that Dereck over the next couple of months myself!

[gep]

Duke Basketball Report forum experts: board-certified doctors
Inside Carolina forum experts: drank questionable moonshine in front of a Holiday Inn Express last night

Does drinking in a Holiday Inn Express parking lot last night count as "stayed" at a Holiday Inn Express last night

[jv001]

I'm happy to see Dariq didn't have a season ending injury. From Coach Scheyer's reports, he's worked hard to overcome his first injury. It would be a shame if the young man had been done for the season. On the other hand, I have mixed feelings about how he will contribute after this injury. On one hand, he could be the AG Griffin 3-point shooter on last season's team. But on the other hand, he might not be the player we hoped he would be before the season began. His inability to drive to the basket and finish have not been the play of a top 3 draft pick. His defense is pretty good with the exception being he loses his man at times in man2man defense, but he's not the only player that happens to. If nothing else, he will be able to give some of his teammates needed rest.

GoDuke!

[UrinalCake]

I also wonder how much he'll be able to provide, even if he's only out for a couple weeks. It's taken all season for him to work through his first injury and this is yet another setback. The pschological impact may be just as big as the physical, as I have to believe his reluctance to drive the lane thus far as been partially due to fear of reinjury. But as jv001 said, even if he just floats on the perimeter, as long as he can hit threes at a reasonable clip then that would provide a lot of what we need.

[dlmzzz]

Duke Basketball Report forum experts: board-certified doctors
Inside Carolina forum experts: drank questionable moonshine in front of a Holiday Inn Express last night

It's really frightening that you're reminding me of one of the few times I visited Chapel Hill as a student. It was drinking Ouzo with a guy sitting on a tailgate in an alley, but still.

[SouthernDukie]

If everyone can stay healthy, this team has a month of games and practices to begin to gel. It absolutely can be done. Not giving up hope that this team can make a good run in the ACC tournament, and play well in the NCAA’s.

But they can’t afford any more injuries. There has to be optimal health going forward for this team to succeed in March.

[SavDukeGrad]

From pictures of the team leaving RDU this afternoon: Whitehead is traveling with the team. He looks totally normal - no crutches, boot, or anything visible on his leg.

[SkyBrickey]

If this team makes the Sweet 16, it will have overachieved at this point. I’m always hoping for a Final4. The raw talent is here even without Dariq. But I’ve always looked at Dariq as the key to us reaching our potential.

Now I plan to just relax and enjoy whatever this team can make happen. Great opportunities for Proctor, Grandison and Mitchell to step up and star.