It will take the village to help the Miami Heat get the most out of their dominate young center, Hassan Whiteside.
Hassan Whiteside has been one of the more potent contributors for the Miami Heat over the course of the past two seasons. At 27 years of age, he’s primed to be one of the better players at the center position for years to come, and his lucrative $98 million deal awarded this off-season exhibits just how much faith the Heat organization has invested in the young man.
Statistically, the NBA hasn’t seen a big man accumulate as many blocked shots per game as Whiteside in over a decade. Just this past season, he posted career-highs in points (14.2), rebounds (11.8) and blocks (3.7) while shooting 65 percent from the field.
Now the shot-blocking maestro faces the biggest test of his young career: will he live up to those stat and fiscal figures? Can he be a reliable No. 1 or 2 option? There are questions on this team, and it’s up to Erik Spoelstra and Co. to pick up the pieces following Dwyane Wade’s departure.
With a completely revamped roster, it’s going to be tough for the Heat to compete in the East without a big step up from Whiteside, especially if Chris Bosh is still unable to go with ongoing blood clot issues.
Heading into the 2016-17 season predominantly young, the pressure is now on the Heat to put Whiteside in a position to succeed for perhaps the next four years, possibly (hopefully) more. Just how can they do that?
Next: Offense