Lichtenstein: Homegrown Net Whitehead Shows True Meaning of Brooklyn Grit In Win Over Wolves

By Steve Lichtenstein
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With 15.8 seconds remaining and the Nets holding a 115-110 lead over Minnesota, guard Isaiah Whitehead stepped to the free-throw line at Barclays Center on Tuesday night.

"Brook-lyn! Brook-lyn!" rained down from the 13,610 Election Night attendees.

The 21-year-old rookie then calmly sank the two foul shots to secure the 119-110 victory, which upped the Nets' record to a surprising 3-4.

For the alum of Lincoln High School, the chant had extra meaning. Whitehead is the first native from Brooklyn to suit up for the hometown team.

"It was great," said Whitehead of the serenade. "It's nice to know that my people from Brooklyn are behind me. My main focus was to just make the free throws."

Whitehead wasn't even supposed to get the opportunity to close NBA games at this stage of his career. He was drafted out of Seton Hall in the second round in June by Utah and immediately sold to Brooklyn. Nets coach Kenny Atkinson hinted during the preseason that Whitehead would join 2015 first-round pick Chris McCullough on the Nets' Long Island D-League affiliate due to the big club's guard glut.

However, Randy Foye missed the Nets' first six games with a hamstring injury. Then Greivis Vasquez's troublesome ankle started acting up 10 days ago in Milwaukee. He hasn't dressed since.

When Jeremy Lin, Brooklyn's marquee free agent acquisition over the summer, was felled by a strained hamstring in the second quarter of last Wednesday's win over Detroit, Whitehead was the last point guard standing.

And I use that term "point guard" loosely, since Whitehead came to Brooklyn with a reputation as more of a combo guard, a volume scorer whose erratic ballhandling during the Summer League games left fans concerned that he would need at least a season to develop before playing in the NBA.

But when pressed into service, Whitehead has delivered for Brooklyn. Though hardly mistake-free, he has shown remarkable growth in a short stretch.

Against the T-Wolves, Whitehead produced a full stat line of six points, seven rebounds, and seven assists with only two turnovers in 26 minutes.

"We're all going to go out there and make mistakes, but he played with great aggression and stayed intense," said center Brook Lopez, who led all Nets scorers with 26 points. "He did a good job running the team and making key plays for us."

One of those plays was a charging foul he took from Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns with about six minutes remaining in the third quarter. It was the sublime center's fourth personal foul and forced him to sit for the remainder of the period.

"That's the toughness we needed," Lopez said. "That's the definition of Brooklyn grit. That's homegrown."

What made the play extra impressive was that Whitehead was forced from the game after just five minutes when Nets center Justin Hamilton failed to secure a rebound off a missed free throw, leading to a Gorgui Dieng layup. Dieng appeared to step on Whitehead's face when he landed.

"I just tried to take a charge, and the next thing I know, I just saw lights -- when I got to the bench Caris (LeVert) said I had a shoe mark on my face," said Whitehead, who needed to pass concussion protocols in order to return to a game that required further sacrifices to his body. "It's just the way I grew up — being tough and not letting things that you can overcome stop you from playing."

Atkinson, who said that the second-half rebounding efforts from both Whitehead and Sean Kilpatrick changed the complexion of the game, also appreciated Whitehead's toughness.

"I'm not sure how many charges (Whitehead) took tonight, but I know he was in a lot of scrums," Atkinson said. "That's the Coney Island toughness."

"We're beginning to feel comfortable with him out there," Atkinson continued. "I felt like he had command of the game. (The players) responded to his energy and responded to his defense. We changed defenses in the second half a lot, and he adjusted and didn't really get lost. The (assistant) coaches keep telling me, 'Boy, that guy learns quick.'"

Whitehead credits Lin with accelerating his learning curve.

"I wouldn't be here -- (Lin) has been a major help," Whitehead said. "Even when I'm down on myself, just really picking me back up and just showing me what I get wrong and what I need to do right. Watching film after practice and helping me get a feel for the game."

Whitehead's game is far from finished. He leads the team in fouls per 36 minutes (six) and owns the highest turnover percentage (25.1). While he has been effective (64.3 percent) finishing at the rim, he is shooting 3 of 17 (17.6 percent) from outside the restricted area.

Still, many expected the Nets, hardly a fearsome group when at full strength, to fall apart without Lin during his two-week (at least) absence, and so far they haven't.

Whitehead and Kilpatrick, the league's leading bench scorer at 16.6 ppg, finished the win over Detroit, kept the Nets within striking distance until the final minute before falling by four points to Charlotte, and then they outgunned the T-Wolves.

Bigger tests lie ahead as Brooklyn embarks on a five-game road trip, beginning Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden versus the Knicks.

The Battle of the Boroughs just got a little more personal.

For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Jets and the NHL, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1