What a shame! In just 2 years, the 21-year-old rising star went from being number one in the United States to being completely marginalized in the NBA!

In this year's NBA preseason game held in Macau, China, Chinese player Zeng Fanbo was abandoned for no reason in the second game, which aroused many fans' doubts. You must know that the Nets are already in a bad period. Even if the competition in the Eastern Conference next season is average, judging from their current lineup, there is basically no possibility of entering the playoffs. In addition, this preseason game is at home in China. It is completely unimaginable to not give Xiao Zeng any chance. Therefore, it is also very puzzling to adjust and use the Nets' personnel.

Not long ago, since the preseason has ended, each team needs to make layoffs to meet the needs of the new season's roster, so the Nets also made some operations. Among those who were laid off, apart from Xiao Zeng, a familiar name was prominently listed. He was Darrick Whitehead, the former No. 1 high school student in the United States. Although he was only 21 years old, he was still abandoned by the team. Looking back on his basketball experience, it can be said that it was very bumpy. After all, he was once regarded as the favored man of heaven. Let us walk into his story together!

Produced by Montverde, but suffered serious injuries.

Before entering college, Whitehead was definitely the focus of national attention because his performance in high school was indeed too outstanding. He comes from Montverde Academy, the famous academy that produced Cade Cunningham, Scotty Barnes and others. And here, he is the core of the team, helping Montverde Academy win the National High School Championship for two consecutive years. With his help, Montverde Academy can be said to be a dominant high school.

In his senior season, he averaged 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, helping the high school achieve a record of 22 wins and 4 losses. He directly won the Naismith High School Player of the Year, MaxPreps Player of the Year, McDonald's All-Star Game MVP and many other honors. It is precisely because of this that Whitehead was directly selected as the No. 1 high school student in the United States. From the outside, it is a certainty that he will enter the NBA and become an All-Star player in the future.

At the same time, before graduating from high school, Whitehead has already received invitations from many top NCAA colleges, and they all hope to cooperate with this talented guy. In the end, Whitehead chose Duke University and became a member of the Blue Devils. However, something unexpected happened. Before he entered school, he suffered a serious injury. He suffered a Jones fracture in his right foot, which forced him to undergo surgery. Moreover, the recovery period of this disease is very long, and it is very likely that he will not be able to recover quickly. Under such circumstances, he He chose to come back in the middle of his freshman season, but the result was not satisfactory. He had been fighting injuries all season. Not only was he unable to perform as he had in high school, but his injuries were also never fully recovered.

continues to be troubled by injuries, and his chances in the Nets are slim.

Throughout his freshman season, Whitehead only produced 8.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1 assist. Although he shot 41.1% from three-point range and had good physical talent, the problem was that his injury risks really kept many teams away from him. Therefore, after participating in the NBA draft in 2023, his picks have been falling until the Nets, hoping to win the lottery, used their 23rd overall pick in the first round to select him.

What's even worse is that because Jones' previous fracture never recovered, he had to undergo surgery again after he was selected. Therefore, even if the Nets selected him, they were very worried about his career prospects. This is indeed the case. Although he made a successful debut in the 23-24 season, he only played 2 games and averaged only 1.5 points, 2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He soon returned to the injured bench due to a stress fracture of his left tibia and missed the remaining games of the 23-24 season.

In just over a year, Whitehead has undergone three surgical treatments, which has largely caused his explosive power to decrease significantly. Even though he was only 20 years old at the time, almost all media believed that this genius was about to die. But even so, the Nets still gave Whitehead a chance, hoping that he could complete the counterattack.

But this time, Whitehead once again let the team down. When last season was in a bad period, Whitehead could only get 12.3 minutes, averaging only 5.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. Although the three-point shooting rate reached 44.6%, the overall shooting rate was only 40.6%, which is enough to prove that his condition is already very poor. Moreover, his injuries have never been healed. After playing and stopping, he only played in a total of 20 games. This kind of attendance rate and performance also completely disappointed the Nets.

was quickly eliminated from the NBA and may not be able to return in the future.

In the preseason not long ago, the Nets gave many players opportunities, but Whitehead still only played one game, with only 6 minutes in the game. Apart from 1 assist, he made no contributions. All under such circumstances, Whitehead completely lost interest in him and directly laid him off, which also caused the 21-year-old Whitehead to lose his job. And what makes people feel even more disappointed is that even though he is still young now, it may be difficult for him to return to the NBA in the future. When he graduated from high school, this player, who was highly optimistic by the media and fans, stepped down from the NCAA. He was once the number one player in the United States, but he was reduced to this. It is indeed extremely sad.