Pointing in the right direction
Nets’ Lin mentoring Whitehead
There is no question Jeremy Lin is the Nets’ floor leader and starting point guard. The question is who will back him up, and what Brooklyn will get out of young native son Isaiah Whitehead and reclamation project Greivis Vasquez.
Whitehead isn’t getting treated — or paid — like your average second-round draft pick. The Nets talk about Whitehead like a future building block, and Lin has taken the 21-year-old rookie from Coney Island under his wing in a transition from shooting guard to point guard.
“He’s talented, he’s strong, he’s athletic, he can get to the basket,’’ Lin said of the former Lincoln High and Seton Hall star. “The more time we spend, the more I’m going to be able to help him in changing his pace, changing his speed, making the right reads defensively, how to make it tough for opponents, and just teaching him the little things here and there.
“He’s a great player. … It’s not like I need to give him everything, I just need to give him tips and pointers and guide him and let his talent take over.”
In full-on rebuild mode, the Nets believe they got an undervalued talent. After having him 18th on their predraft board, they forked over $3 million and the 52nd pick to Utah in order to select him No. 42 overall. Then they gave him a four-year, $4.5 million deal, the first two guaranteed, more in line with a first-rounder.
They appear happy so far with their early returns. Whitehead — who was introduced last at Saturday’s open practice at LIU Brooklyn to loud applause, and hung around afterward to give a clinic for Brooklyn children — could get thrown into the fire early, partly because of Vasquez’s health.
“Isaiah’s going to push guys for that position, no matter who’s there. That’s the type of guy he is,’’ said coach Kenny Atkinson, who gave Whitehead a scheduled day off to rest his hyperextended knee. “I don’t think he’s coming in here saying I’m going to take my time. I can see he has an urgency about him, and a competitiveness and gets after it. He’s ambitious; that’s what I like about him.”
Though Whitehead has good size, vision and passing ability, he needs to get a better grasp of NBA defense. Vasquez, meanwhile, just has to get fully fit.
Vasquez had surgery to remove a bone spur and loose bodies from his right ankle on Dec. 15, and hasn’t played since. The Nets gave him a make-good, one-year $5 million deal to bring size and savvy as Lin’s backup. After skipping the Olympics to spare his ankle, the 29-yearold essentially practiced fully on Friday and looked spry in Saturday’s scrimmage.
“I’m getting back healthier. We’ve got a month away. I’ve still got plenty of time,’’ Vasquez told The Post. “I’m not trying to rush. … I’m going day-by-day, and [Saturday] I played almost 17 minutes. I felt pretty good after almost as year not playing like this, so camp has been good. My ankle is reacting pretty good.
“Obviously I’m not doing everything, but [Friday], I did most of it. But what I like is we’re taking everything progressively. I haven’t missed anything and that says a lot about where my ankle is right now. The expectation is I’m pretty confident I can come back and play the first regular season game and be fine for the season.”