Due to increased opportunity, Whiteside’s efficiency has taken a hit
Whiteside is not as efficient of a player as he was last season. His field goal percentage, though still at a healthy 55 percent, is the lowest it’s been since he joined Miami. He’s also averaging a career-high 3.3 fouls and two turnovers per game.
Particularly killer has been his regression from the free throw line. In the final two months of last season, Whiteside made a huge improvement from the stripe. From February 24th through the end of the year, he was a 77 percent free throw shooter. Many thought he had fixed his struggles from the line. Sadly, that hasn’t remotely carried over to this year. He’s now back to a paltry 54 percent.
That regression has led to a plummet in Whiteside’s true-shooting percentage. True shooting is a metric that takes into account free throw shooting, plus two-point and three-point percentages. He went from 62.9 percent last year (22nd best in the NBA), to 55.8 percent this year (149th in the NBA).
We can also take a look at Whiteside’s shooting percentages from different distances. So far this season, Whiteside’s percentages have worsened in three of the four areas in which he shoots the most.
From within five feet of the basket, Whiteside is currently shooting 65 percent, down from 71 percent last year. From between five and nine feet, he’s at 39 percent, down from 45 percent. And from 10 to 14 feet, Whiteside is sitting at 30 percent shooting, a huge drop from 51 percent last year.
The only zone in which Whiteside has improved his shooting is between 15 and 19 feet, an area from which he really shouldn’t be shooting to begin with. You can find all of those numbers on NBA Stats, if you want a closer look for yourself.
To be fair to Miami’s big man however, this is the first year Whiteside is one of the two main options on a team. I expect all those numbers to take a jump as he grows accustomed to being the focal point of an opposing team’s defense. Plus, 18 points and 15 rebounds per game is nothing to scoff at.