Lost in Sean Kilpatrick’s brilliant 38-point, 14-rebound
performance in the Brooklyn Nets’ 127-122 double overtime victory over the Los
Angeles Clippers Tuesday night, was the steady, if unspectacular, play of rookie
Isaiah Whitehead.
Whitehead, who was playing at Seton Hall this time last
year, easily eclipsed his career high in minutes, playing 46. The rest of his
stat line looked pedestrian on paper – 6 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists – but he
had zero turnovers, while playing the point guard position and guarded Chris
Paul for pretty much the entire game.
At Lincoln high school in Brooklyn and then at Seton Hall,
Whitehead was known as an alpha dog rugged, do-it-all guard who looked to
score. Early in his NBA career, he is showing he can do whatever is asked of
him.
“I’m just playing my role,” he said after the game. “When
coach tells me to be more aggressive then I’ll be more aggressive, but right
now I think my job is really just to play defense and when I have an open shot,
take it.”
He is doing a great job in his current role, which should
only grow with each solid performance.
“[Tonight’s game] definitely gave me a lot of confidence,
just because of the way I played,” Whitehead said. “I think I played some good
defense, I think I really helped my guys on defense, I mean, I think I just did
a great job on that side, so it’s definitely giving me more confidence.”
Expect bigger and better things to come from Isaiah
Whitehead.
