The Miami Heat appear well stacked at the center position, with Hassan Whiteside and Wille Reed leading the way.
The Miami Heat appear to be bucking the trend at the center position.
Whilst a number of teams do still have the traditional pivot manning the 5-spot, many appear to be token-starters. They may play 15-20 minutes per game, and are quickly replaced during the course of the game in order for the team to play smaller, more diverse big-men.
The Heat generated debate when they gave a maximum contract to Hassan Whiteside this past summer. Despite having just 140 career games under his belt, team president Pat Riley’s again demonstrated his affinity for a prototypical center.
Whiteside differs from many of centers in the league in that the Heat plan to utilize him on the offensive end. Many centers are there essentially to set screens and play defence. Whiteside, however, is being viewed as a multi-dimensional center who can impact a game in a number of ways.
Further to the Whiteside signing was the offseason acquisition of free-agent Willie Reed. Very much in the mould of Whiteside, Reed’s greatest strengths are playing close to the rim where he utilize his size and athleticism on both ends of the floor. As head coach Erik Spoelstra noted recently on Reed,
"“He has a great motor. I really like the pace of play that he brings out there. He’s aggressive on the offensive glass. He’s an aggressive pick-and-roll player, brings a great energy out there on the court. He’s vocal. We’ve had success with bigs like that.”"
Both Whiteside and Reed impressed tremendously throughout the preseason games.
Whiteside played six of the eight games, posting 14.8 points per game, 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. This was in just 22 minutes per game whilst hitting at 65.5 percent from the field. Whiteside also had a usage rate of 25.3. Further, the Heat produced 113.4 points per 100 possessions whilst he was on the floor.
When these stats are equated to per-36 minutes, they jump off the page. Per NBA.com, Whiteside averaged 24.2 points per game, 16.9 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game. By way of comparison, last season per 36-minutes Whiteside averaged 17.6 points per game, 14.7 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game with a usage rate of 20.7.
"One other stat that jumps off the page – 52.7 percent of Whiteside’s field goal attempts this preseason were within 5 feet of the rim. He converted on 89.7 percent of these attempts."
Despite it just being the preseason, these numbers clearly indicate the Heat are going to attempt to make Whiteside more of a focal point on offence.
Reed played 36 games last season in his debut year with the Brooklyn Nets. This preseason, Reed posted 8.7 points per game, 6.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He played 20.2 minutes per game and shot 63.2 percent from the field. On a per-36 minute basis, these numbers equated to 15.3 points per game, 11.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.
The most notable stat for Reed was defensively. The Heat allowed just 89.3 points per 100 possessions when Reed was on the court. This would be equivalent to a league-leading team defence if played out over an entire season.
The Whiteside/Reed combination appears to suit perfectly the game style which the Heat intend on playing this season. The Heat will be looking to surround these two primarily with shooters–a combination of three-guard lineups, stretch-4’s and highly versatile players.
A newcomer such as Luke Babbitt can thrive in this system. His perimeter shooting can be fully utilized whilst his defensive shortcomings can be covered somewhat by the presence of the Heat’s centers.
Next: Analyzing Miami's first 20 games
As it stands, a number of Heat players appear to be set for career-best seasons this coming year. You can certainly count Whiteside and Reed amongst that group.