Off the court, Isaiah Whitehead has been known to be a quiet guy. On the court, it turns out he’s pretty chatty.

The rookie point guard is viewing all aspects of his first season with the Brooklyn Nets as a learning experience, so when he’s on the floor with the likes of a Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard or Isaiah Thomas, he’s out there asking questions.

“Tonight while we were shooting free throws or they were shooting free throws I was asking D Lill questions,” Whitehead said after the Nets-Blazers game on Nov. 20. “I’m out there trying to learn as much as possible. Either he’s going to answer them or he’s not. He was great enough to answer them.”

He asked Lillard about his quickness and reading ball screens and said he got real answers in return. Lillard – a favorite guard for Whitehead to follow while he was at Seton Hall the last two years – told him to keep working and putting in the hours because that’s what he did.

This isn’t uncommon for rookies. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson said he asked questions to LeBron James, Kevin Durant and other top players in his rookie year to pick their brains, though he’s done less of it this season. But even for an outgoing, charismatic guy like Hollis-Jefferson, approaching established players for the first time can be a little nerve-wracking.

“I was nervous about saying something to Paul Pierce because I had never met him,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “They told me he doesn’t talk to rookies, so I was just like ‘Sup, Paul?’ and walked away. I got a ‘hello,’ so that was cool.”

After the Nets-Celtics game on Thanksgiving Eve, Whitehead sought out Isaiah Thomas and had a few words. Like Whitehead, Thomas was also a second-round pick. Thomas, who has become one of the NBA’s top scorers over his six seasons, told Whitehead to appreciate the game even when he’s not playing and to make use of the time he gets.

“He just said if you get two minutes, 10 minutes or 20 minutes on the court, just give it your all,” Whitehead said. “Do what you have to do and give it your all. Never let anyone say you’re not playing hard. So I just took that accountability and every time I’m out there I try to go all out.”

No one can question whether Whitehead plays hard, especially after playing through an ugly collision that ended with Gorgui Dieng stepping on his face in the Nets’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 8.

Whitehead has been thrust into the starting role in lieu of Jeremy Lin’s hamstring injury. While he’s the starting point guard out of necessity, coach Kenny Atkinson sees the experience of playing minutes as a benefit.

“All this experience he’s getting playing against the top guys, when he’s slotted in the position as a backup I can only think this is going to help him progress and develop,” Atkinson said. “I think he was a plus-2 last night. Of course we want better, but we’re seeing positive things from him, positive improvement.”

Atkinson has also seen Whitehead find his voice off the court, as he grows more comfortable with NBA life.

“Personality-wise, from the first day Isaiah was here to now, he’s opened up tremendously,” Atkinson said. “To me, that’s development, there’s on-court, technical development, physical development, just leadership development. All the players are commenting, ‘Isaiah is changing, he’s talking to us, he’s opening up, he’s asking us questions,’ so that’s big progress.”

Tuesday’s matchup against the LA Clippers pits Whitehead against a nine-time All-Star in Chris Paul, so it’ll be another chance to learn. More importantly, it’ll be another chance to prove himself against one of the game’s top guards.

“You try to learn from them, but also really try to go at them and see what I really need to work on,” Whitehead said. “I’m looking forward to playing him.”