From Lebanon to South Beach, Hassan Whiteside became the 7-foot silver lining to the Miami Heat’s disappointing season. The 25-year-old, upstart center has a lot of promise as a shot blocker and post threat, but this is about what he’s already shown us.
Whiteside averaged 11.8 points, 10 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 48 games for the Heat this past season. He started 32 of those games, helping the Heat solidify its defense in the paint and give them an outlet in pick-and-roll situations.
I won’t rewrite the dozens-to-hundreds of posts on just what made Whiteside’s season, and journey, so miraculous. But we should take a look at what he did on the court, and how he projects moving forward.
What Went Right
At first, when you think about Whiteside, you probably think about his rebounding and knack for blocking shots and keeping the ball in play. Certainly, the threat of him being in the paint deterred opponents from driving and helped Miami’s defense overall.
However, let’s focus on offense, where Whiteside evolved at a rapid pace in his half season. He started as a guy who could clean the boards and get points on put backs. When he was incorporated into the starting lineup, Dwyane Wade discovered a pick-and-roll buddy. Whiteside is surprisingly agile for a 7-footer, and is a natural diving to the rim after setting a screen.
He developed a couple of go-to post moves–a fadeaway jumper and a spin move–as the season went on.
What Went Wrong
Whiteside’s nasty side reared its ugly head when he took out his frustrations by spearing Phoenix Suns center Alex Len. Then, just seven days later, he blindsided Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk.
The incidents led to his teammates publicly speaking out on his behavior.
Best Game
Whiteside’s triple-double against the Chicago Bulls on January 25 stands out as his most dominating performance, with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 13 rebounds and 12 blocks in 24:37. It was also the game after which he dropped the legendary “I’m just trying to get my 2k rating up” line.
Where He Can Improve
Whiteside is a black hole on offense. Once the ball goes into him, he is putting up a shot.
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He’s converting 62.8 percent of his shots, so it usually works, but he’ll often choose to barrel through double teams and throw up an attempt rather than kick it out to an open shooter.
With 1.2 assists per 100 possessions, Whiteside had the second lowest assist ratio of all centers in the league (the worst belongs to Miroslav Raduljica, a backup on the Timberwolves who plays less than five minutes per game).
Again, most of his shots came as the finisher on pick-and-rolls or put backs off offensive rebounds–situations in which passing the ball isn’t as common or as easy–but there is plenty of opportunity for that number to be higher as the Heat look to post him up more.
Looking Ahead
Whiteside will enter the final season of his two-year test deal next season (he’ll be making $981,348 next season). That means it’s a contract year and he’ll have to continue to develop if he wants to ink the major deal you know he’ll be looking for.
That will mean continuing to block shots and scare opponents from the paint and finishing at the rim while developing his post game and increasing those assist numbers. He’ll also have to stay out of trouble. The Heat know what they have in Whiteside, and are putting him in a “specific player development program” to keep him close to the organization and on the right track. That track is leading to a max deal as a pillar to a championship-contending squad.