For the Miami Heat, Hassan Whiteside’s act could grow tired
By Simon Smith
February 13 2017, Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic
The Heat were coming off their first defeat in 14 games at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers. Returning home, Miami were keen to make amends for this hiccup and recommence their drive up the standings. The end result: the Heat lost 116-107. Whiteside finished with 12 points, 19 rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 36 minutes on the court.
In addition, Whiteside had a 45.0 percent defensive rebounding rate, and an overall rebounding rate of 26.4 percent. On the surface, this seems like a great overall game, particularly on the boards. But the one question mark that has surrounded Whiteside has been his wavering effort and attention to detail.
The loss to the Magic was a prime example of this.
The first instance came just 90 seconds into the game:
As can be seen, Aaron Gordon drives through the lane. Whiteside is nearby keeping an eye on Nikola Vucevic stationed out on the perimeter. But even though it’s clear that Gordon has no intention of passing, Whiteside still plays the role as onlooker. Gordon having the ability to miss and then grab his own shot in the first couple of minutes of the game was an ominous sign.
Around 90 seconds later following Vucevic’s already second offensive rebound, head coach Erik Spoelstra benched Whiteside in favor of backup Willie Reed. Whiteside was out of the game for over six minutes of court of time, returning with 2:58 left in the opening term. At the time of Whiteside’s bench, the Magic led the rebounding 9-1 and 8-0 for points in the paint.
The next glaring instance for Whiteside was a few minutes into the second term
What seemed like a straight forward rebound instead turned into a second-chance opportunity for the Magic. Whiteside simply stood there with his hands to his sides. So when the ball came bouncing off the rim, he wasn’t in a position to grab a simple board. A lack of attentiveness and focus was plain to see.
The next play, less than 90 seconds later in game-time, more or less summed up Whiteside’s approach early in the game.
Shaking your head is probably the first reaction you have after the seeing that vision. Whiteside is basically stationed next to the Magic’s Jeff Green when he has initial shot attempt blocked by the Heat’s Okaro White. However, Green has ample time to gather the ball and convert a simple lay-up whilst Whiteside barely moved.
To give you a comparison of his capabilities, here is a six-minute compilation of block shots by Whiteside from this season as of January 2:
The contrast in effort and attentiveness is astounding. Whiteside has physical capabilities that only a few players in the league possess. His instinct for the ball when blocking shots is outstanding. So to say it is infuriating watching his performance early in the game against Orlando is an understatement.
The next possession on display is an almost replica of earlier the vision of Whiteside giving up an offensive rebound due to his lackadaisical mindset.
Again, Whiteside is in a good enough position to grab the rebound. But with this hands to his side and his head in the clouds, Vucevic snares the board and hence another possession for the Magic.
The result of these various possessions was that the Magic had already grabbed 12 offensive rebounds by the end of the first half. Granted, Whiteside pulled down 12 rebounds himself before the main break. But his head in the clouds-approach to commence the game really set the tone.