Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside will be asked to step up as a leader for this young team. Can the mercurial standout rise to the challenge?
Miami Heat Season Preview
After a tumultuous summer for the Miami Heat, the season can’t come soon enough. While there is still plenty to mine from the losses of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, over the next few days we’ll be looking forward. It’s a new era for the Heat, and this is our 2016-17 Season Preview series.
Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside enters the young season fresh off a lucrative 4-year, $98 million contract signed this offseason. Listed as Pat Riley’s number one priority, the Heat wasted no time getting him locked up for years to come. Large dollar signs, however, come with tremendous responsibility, and it’s going to be up to Whiteside himself to answer that call. Now the highest-paid player on Miami’s roster, everyone will be looking toward the young center for guidance and leadership, and frankly, I’m very concerned for the Heat.
“He’s proven that he could earn a contract and it’s well-earned and well-deserved this summer,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of his young center. “Now what he can focus on is a clear mind and absolutely just helping a team win. That’s what it’s all about now. It’s not about a contract anymore, it’s not about numbers anymore. It’s about winning.”
While Spoelstra’s statement is absolutely correct, that doesn’t calm any nerves for me. Whiteside’s NBA journey has been one of turbulence and uncertainty, with a little turmoil thrown in the mix.
When he signed a two-year, $1.75 million deal with the Heat in 2014-15, he’d played in just 19 total NBA games. Since then? He’s averaged 13.3 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game while logging right around 30 minutes per night.
At just 27 years of age with only 140 total games under his belt, Whiteside is young in regards to NBA experience. And yet there are 11 players (10 being new) currently on Miami’s roster younger than him.
When asked if he can be a leader, Whiteside was confident he can.
“I think the adjustment won’t be that hard,” Whiteside said. “I’m always a guy to come out here and lead by example. That’s more the way I lead, just kind of get these guys going and just show them that we’re a really good team.”
Easier said than done, young fella. While boasting a look of calm confidence, Whiteside may not sport the same attitude come mid-season. With Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade officially off the books, that veteran “security blanket” has perished.
Countless incidents over the past two seasons regarding Whiteside’s drive and character have been brought to national attention, and that leaves many fans in South Florida with a queasy feeling in their stomachs. While Whiteside certainly put up impressive numbers last year, statistics don’t always equal wins, and if the Heat are to get back to contention in the near future, it may be up to none other than Whiteside to grab the reigns of the franchise and run with it.
If I can be brutally honest, I’m not buying the idea whatsoever. Not yet, at least. With the sample size provided, I wouldn’t bet a dime on it.
While Whiteside’s 7-foot, 265-pound frame screams nothing but potential, he’s been disengaged and emotionally distant from the team on far too many occasions. When things aren’t going your way, that’s when one should show resolve, and put forth whatever effort necessary in order to help the team win. If that means cheering from the bench, so be it. Respect in this league is earned, and after the journey Whiteside has been through over the past six years, nobody should take that statement to heart more than him.
Am I saying it’ll never happen? Absolutely not. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance I could be horribly wrong. After all, just over a year-and-a-half ago, the general public weren’t even aware of who Whiteside was.
With an optimistic heart and open mind, one can definitely visualize scenarios in which Whiteside answers the bell. Nobody can deny his skill set and talent, but as the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar so eloquently put it, the most important muscle you use in basketball is the one between one’s ears, and Whiteside’s basketball IQ certainly hasn’t been his strong suit at times.
We’ve seen him shoot too many jumpers several times, not smart for an individual not known for his perimeter shooting whatsoever. He’s also shown poor one-on-one defensive tendencies, and to snatch the title of Defensive Player of the Year out of the long claws of Kawhi Leonard, that certainly will not cut it.
Contrary, team leaders are fluent on both sides of the ball, not just one. Defense alone won’t turn Whiteside in to a superstar, and 14.8 points per game does not warrant over $20 million per year. With Wade and Bosh both traveling different respective paths, additional touches are imminent. One could argue the shot-blocking maestro is now the team’s number one option when it pertains to scoring. Outside of Dragic, Miami has no clear-cut ace in their pocket with Richardson and Justise Winslow still in development.
Needless to say, it may be a tough grind for the Heat early on. This young group will be tested from every angle.
Next: Whiteside making strides as a passer
It’s understandable to feel optimistic about Whiteside’s chances. He’s a long, athletic youngin’ with masterful timing on the defensive end and loads of potential offensively.
Nevertheless, if I had to put money down today, I’m not placing that bet. Only time will tell, and I’ll gladly eat the crow if proven wrong.