Dariq Whitehead available for Duke vs. Virginia
Dariq Whitehead will return to action for Duke Saturday against Virginia, a Blue Devils spokesperson has confirmed. The freshman has been recovering from a leg injury for the better part of three weeks.
Whitehead, the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2022 On3 Consensus, has averaged 8.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game before going down with the injury.
“He’s really progressed well,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said about Whitehead’s recovery earlier in the week. “We didn’t have contact [Wednesday]; he was able to do everything. But [Thursday] is the next step of being able to go through an entire practice.”
Tip-off between the Blue Devils and Cavaliers is set for 4 p.m. ET live on ESPN. Duke will be looking to win its fourth game in five tries.
Los Angeles Clippers trade former Duke standout Luke Kennard in three-team deal
Luke Kennard, a two-year standout at Duke in 2016 and 2017, is off to his third NBA team in his sixth season in the league. He’s being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies from the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a three-team deal, according to several reports.
As part of the three-team deal, the Houston Rockets sent veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon to the Clippers. And for getting Kennard, the Grizzlies shipped Danny Green to Houston and sent three second round picks to the Clippers — among the many teams sending a raft of 2nd round picks out the door on deadline day. The Clippers also sent John Wall (back) to Houston, where he is reportedly likely to be waived.
Kennard brings something to the Grizzlies that every NBA team is always wanting: Shooting. Kennard is a career 42.7% 3-point shooter. And in the 2022-23 season, he’s played above his averages, shooting 44.7% from three and a mind-numbing 95% from the free-throw line.
Kennard was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 2017 NBA Draft. After three moderately successful seasons on those Pistons squads — he put up his best career scoring average, 15.8 points per game, in his final year there — he landed with the Clippers, where he spent the last two and a half seasons.
In 73 career games at Duke, Kennard averaged 15.7 points per game. He was a 38.3% 3-point shooter in college. He scored 20 or more points 26 times. All that was enough to get the Pistons to select him 12th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Now Kennard is off to the Grizzlies, staying in the western conference and likely slotting into an off-ball role alongside Ja Morant and Co., playing for arguably the best team in the conference and a bona fide NBA Finals contender.