This season was supposed to be about player development. While Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns handed the Nets their fifth straight loss on Wednesday at Barclays Center, 108-84, fans could see flashes of the future. Brooklyn was once again decimated by injuries entering the night. D’Angelo Russell, Ben Simmons and five other key rotation players were ruled out before the game, and the Nets’ 24th starting lineup of the season didn’t feature a true point guard. Keon Johnson and Tyrese Martin, both playing out of position, were tasked with ball-handling duties. They had a tough time generating offense early. The Nets started 1-for-8 from the field and Phoenix raced out to a 9-2 lead with 7:15 left in the first quarter and were up 28-16 entering the second. Brooklyn was shooting just 6-for-20 from the field and Durant dropped 11 points in the opening quarter. The Nets desperately needed offense, and Dariq Whitehead delivered. Whitehead, a second-year guard whom the Nets selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Duke, was recalled from the G League earlier in the day. He’s spent most of the season on Long Island and appeared in just seven NBA games in 2024-25 after playing in just two in 2023-24. The 20-year-old entered the night averaging just 5.9 minutes per game, but whenever he has stepped on the court for the Nets — and played extended minutes — he’s shown that his time in the G League this season has been time well spent. In a 128-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 2 — another game where Brooklyn was short on bodies — he played just under 24 minutes, scored a team-high 18 points and went 6-for-10 from 3-point range. Whitehead had another solid offensive game in Wednesday’s loss, finishing with 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting — the third-highest scoring output on the team. He checked in late in the first quarter and knocked down his first 3-pointer of the night with 21.8 seconds left in the period. He then made two more treys in the second quarter, then showcased his improvement off the dribble by slashing around Mason Plumlee in transition and finished at the rim through contact. “He had great energy and wasn’t second-guessing [himself],” Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Whitehead. “He was ready to shoot, and his teammates made the right play, he was in the right spots, and he let it fly.” Whitehead couldn’t complete the 3-point play but enjoyed a flawless first half otherwise: 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from deep. He matched Durant with eight points in the second quarter, which helped the Nets play Phoenix to a 26-26 draw. Brooklyn still trailed 54-42 at halftime, but if it weren’t for Whitehead, things would’ve gotten ugly much quicker. Whitehead is now 11-for-21 (52.3%) from distance in eight games this season. He missed two 3-pointers in the second half, the last an airball shot over the 7-8 wingspan of Bol Bol. He also missed an 8-footer with 45.3 left and went 1-for-3 at the free throw line. The Nets are 14-31 after Wednesday’s loss. Young talent was supposed to be prioritized this season and rotation players continue to drop like flies. So, what else does the former 2023 first-round pick have to do to prove he’s ready for an expanded role? Confidence is a big part of development. Whitehead has clearly found his. Still, he played just 15 minutes against the Suns.