All U Can Heat
Fansided

Stats behind the bench mob trio: Whiteside, Winslow and Richardson

By Joseph Zapata

Nov 1, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (right) celebrates with Miami Heat forward Justise Winslow (left) after Winslow made a three point basket during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 109-89. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 1, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (right) celebrates with Miami Heat forward Justise Winslow (left) after Winslow made a three point basket during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 109-89. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Miami Heat rookies Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson have joined Hassan Whiteside as the young core of the future that is already thriving.

The Miami Heat are filled with star-studded veterans, but it’s been the help of their youngsters off the bench that has really sparked this team’s recent hot stretch. Since the All-Star break, Justise Winslow, Hassan Whiteside and Josh Richardson have been absolutely essential to this team’s success.

Amongst the three, Richardson is easily the biggest surprise. The second round draft pick has gone from the D-League to one of the hottest shooters in the league. In the month of March, Richardson shot 58.9 percent from long range, while averaging 3.7 attempts per contest. The neophyte has proven to be the steal of the draft, feeding the mythology already built around Pat Riley.

Richardson also has shown a great sense of shot selection. He is not one to force up shots, and a majority of attempts have come off of catch-and-shoot opportunities; which he has connected on at a 50 percent clip.

His rookie counterpart, Justise Winslow has been equally as impressive, but on the defensive end. Winslow has struggled occasionally with his jump shot, but at 19 years old, he’s already proven to be one of the league’s most promising wing defenders. Winslow has held shooters to 1.3 percent below their average field goal percentage. This is even more impressive when taking into account the fact that he’s usually assigned to defend the other team’s best scorer.

However, Winslow’s offensive game isn’t nearly as polished. A lot of fans and analysts will compare him to Khawi Leonard, but Winslow is nowhere near the shooter Leonard was his rookie season. The Spurs wing shot 37.6 percent on 3-point attempts in his first season, meanwhile Winslow has only connected at a 26.5 percent clip.

And since Chris Bosh went down right before the All-Star game, Whiteside has flourished off the bench. The inconsistent 7-footer has been red-hot since the All-Star break, averaging 18.5 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game in the month of March.

Whiteside’s ability to score, grab rebounds and swat shots has been evident for quite some time, but it seems like he’s finally starting to become a more willing passer. It’s nothing special, but Whiteside collected 11 assists in March, which is more than he had in January and February combined.

His offense has been great, but it’s his ability to protect that paint that really sets Whiteside apart from the rest. From 6 feet or closer, opponents are shooting 12 percent worse than average when being guarded by Whiteside.

The trio has quickly become the heart and soul of the Heat’s bench. With Wade in his mid-thirties, and Bosh sidelined for the rest of the season, the Heat need Winslow, Whiteside and Richardson to play at maximum capacity, and they’ve done just that.

More heat: Are the Heat's rookies the key to playoff success?

Only time will tell if Richardson’s shooting will regress, and if Whiteside will continue to be less of a turnover machine in the paint, but for the first time in recent memory, the Heat have a young and promising unit.

All stats are courtesy of NBA.com, unless otherwise noted. 

Home/Heat News