Miami Heat Player Profile: Hassan Whiteside
A brief profile breaking down Miami’s latest key-additon, Hassan Whiteside.
Player Vitals
- Height: 7’0
- Weight: 265 lbs.
- Age: 25
College Credentials
Whiteside played for Marshall University in 2010, where he earned several prestigious accolades, including: Sporting News Second Team All-American, Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, CBSSports.com First Team Freshman All-American and Top Shot Blocker in the NCAA.
After the 2010 season, Whiteside chose to forgo his sophomore season and enter in the 2010 NBA Draft. Whiteside averaged 13.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.4 blocks per game in one season at Marshall.
NBA Credentials
Whiteside was drafted in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings.
Four years later, after playing several stints in the D-League and playing in China, Whiteside has found a home in Miami, for now.
Despite being raw on the offensive side of the ball, Whiteside has managed to earn minutes with the Heat, where he has produced in a limited role.
Whiteside has been the recipient of high praise from his teammates, especially Miami’s golden boy, Dwyane Wade.
Via Couper Moorehead of NBA.com:
"“Defensively, he’s a game changer,” Wade said. “He had five blocks but he altered [shots] and he made guys think about going down into the paint.”"
In 11 games with Miami this season, Whiteside has averaged a modest 4.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 12.6 minutes of play. While obviously not producing eye-popping numbers, Whiteside has a PER of 20.52, which would rank him 9th among all centers if he was qualified, according to ESPN‘s John Hollinger.
Another key stat to breakdown is Whiteside’s rebound effect.
According to NBA.com data, if qualified, Whiteside would rank second in rebound percentage with 23.2 in 139 minutes.
Another stat to nibble on would be the gaudiest of them all: Block percentage.
It seems like every NBA team is looking for a serviceable rim-protecting big man. Hell, the Cavaliers gave up TWO first round picks in order to acquire Timofey Mozgov, a player who they think will have a positive effect on the defensive side of the ball.
Moving on, if Whiteside was actually qualified, he would rank first in block percentage (10.9), and would also be atop Anthony Davis (2.8) for most blocks Per 36 Minutes with over four, according to Ramos.
Season Outlook
Whiteside figures to be the third big-man off the bench, behind Chris Andersen and Shawne Williams. If the Heat decide to use its Disabled Player Option on a free-agent, Whiteside’s chances of getting on the court become even slimmer.
While he has certainly exceeded expectations, the Heat have already been down this road with Joel Anthony, Jarvis Varnado and Khem Birch. All have been snubs, and have either been traded or sent down to the D-League.
My projection, for now, would be that the Miami Heat keep Whiteside on their roster, as they already have an open roster spot after waiving Andre Dawkins. I believe Whiteside definitely needs experience out on the floor, but too much experience in the wrong circumstances could hamper his potential.
In a noncompetitive Eastern Conference, taking a chance on Whiteside is a low-risk, high-reward type of gamble.