G League Watch: Dariq Whitehead, Tosan Evbuomwan, Reece Beekman Shine for Long Island Nets

The end of the All-Star break also marked the return of the G League, with the Long Island Nets picking up two wins in two games over the last week.

First, the Nets dispatched the Osceola Magic 137-114 at home. That was followed up by a rematch two days later and another home win, 122-119. Long Island are now 9-11 for the regular season.

Brooklyn’s developmental team recently received an influx of NBA talent. Dariq Whitehead and Tosan Evbuomwan were active for both games, while Reece Beekman featured in the first. Beekman and Evbuomwan are on two-way contracts, while Whitehead has been spending time in the G League all season.

Beekman had 23 points, 11 assists and five steals in 32 minutes against the Magic on Feb. 21. He then played in Brooklyn's Feb. 22 win against the Philadelphia 76ers, finishing with two points in 10 minutes.

Evbuomwan, meanwhile, scored 19 and 18 points, respectively, in his first games for Long Island. The British forward had been a part of Brooklyn's rotation since signing with the team at the start of the year but hasn’t played since Feb. 12. Two-way players can only be active for 50 NBA games. Evbuomwan has already featured in 20, and the Nets have 26 left in the NBA regular season.

Whitehead scored 12 points in the first game against the Magic, but his 4-of-14 efficiency wasn't ideal. The second-year swingman bounced back with 30 points on eight made threes and 11-of-17 shooting — including the game-winning triple. Whitehead needs to work his way into the Nets’ long-term plans, even if this season is basically his rookie season from an on-court perspective given his prior injuries. The former Duke Blue Devil has only featured in nine games, playing more than three minutes thrice.

Despite the team’s reinforcements, Drew Timme was arguably Long Island’s best performer during this two-game stretch. The 24-year-old center finished with a 20/10/11 triple-double in the first win against Osceola, his second triple-double of the season. Timme then had a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double on 9-for-12 from the field a couple of days after.

After Brooklyn’s recent roster moves led to Tyrese Martin being signed to a standard NBA contract, the Nets have a two-way spot open. With the team now circling the play-in picture, maybe that vacancy becomes less of a priority. Killian Hayes, who was recently signed to a 10-day contract, is not eligible for a two-way due to time already spent in the league.

Up next, Long Island heads upstate to White Plains for a Tuesday night game against the Westchester Knicks. The Knicks’ G League affiliate is currently 14-8 in the regular season.

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