National Basketball Association

Brooklyn Nets: Kenny Atkinson Eager to Use Isaiah Whitehead as Point Guard

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Rookie Isaiah Whitehead brings intrigue to the Brooklyn Nets. His roots as a Brooklynite have already established as a team favorite. Head coach Kenny Atkinson recently revealed his intentions to use the 21-year-old as a point guard.

The Brooklyn Nets made a series of offseason moves that resulted in a packed backcourt. One of their players in this crowd is Isaiah Whitehead, who will likely be seeing time at both the one and the two this season.

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As reported by Greg Logan of Newsday, Atkinson believes that Whitehead can excel at the point:

“I think we have multiple guys who can play point guard. “But Isaiah’s going to push guys for that position, no matter who’s there. I don’t think he’s coming in here saying, ‘I’m going to take my time.’ He has an urgency about him and a competitiveness. He’s ambitious, and that’s what I like about him.”

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Whitehead has experience at both the one and the two. For much of his nonprofessional career, he played as a shooting guard. It wasn’t until his sophomore (also his last) year at Seton Hall that he began running the point.

At the one, Whitehead also saw his production increase, as he moved up in both points and assists per game. In his last year at Seton Hall, Whitehead posted 18.2 points and 5.1 assists per game, compared to 12 points and 3.5 assists per game the year prior.

Whitehead attributed this improvement to him learning how to run the point:

“Basically, it was learning how to play point guard. I think I just got comfortable at the spot. The beginning of the year was my first time ever playing it, so there were some struggles. But I got into a groove and started understanding where everyone would be and where they liked the ball and I watched a lot of film. After that, it was second nature.”

Whitehead’s height at 6-foot-4 gives him an advantage to other point guards in the NBA as well, which would make him a suitable backup to Jeremy Lin. It will be interesting to see how the Nets plan on using him and how he progresses throughout the season.

Much of the Nets’ season will be an experiment, so it won’t be a surprise if Atkinson deploys Whitehead at both backcourt positions throughout the year. Nevertheless, the Brooklynite will have a lot to prove, as he sets sail on an NBA journey in his hometown.

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