For Hassan Whiteside to be great, he needs to make better decisions on offense

Can Hassan Whiteside develop into the Miami Heat’s franchise player? Erik Spoelstra laid out what he needs to improve on to get to that level.

During the Miami Heat’s exit interviews, head coach Erik Spoelstra talked about what’s next in Hassan Whiteside’s development, via the Miami Herald:

"“His ability to post up efficiently within the context of an offense and make the right reads and have a consistent go-to move down there will require sweat equity, putting in the time in the gym, which he’s not afraid to do. World class conditioning and shape, that’s where he was at the end of the year. You look at him and he looks like a freak of nature.”"

Whiteside last summer signed a four-year, $98 million contract. It was a huge increase from making less than a million dollars the season prior. Whiteside improved last season, increasing his scoring and rebounding output by three points and three rebounds per game. He’s also a more disciplined defender, though still has room to improve.

Spoelstra doesn’t believe the 27-year-old 7-footer still hasn’t reached his ceiling.

"“He has an opportunity to be one of the greats in this league. That’s what our franchise needs from him. The growth he has made the last three years has been staggering….. It really is staggering, his improvement. Why should we put a ceiling on him? He’s such a lightning rod for attention. He impacted winning more than he ever has.“He can be a dominant impact player next year but he has a lot of work to do this summer. He’s not afraid of working, not afraid of putting in the time. If he continues on this track, who knows where he can go? He had a lot of tough love teachable moments the first couple years. He can be as good as he commits and wants to be. It’s exciting for Heat Nation, exciting for this franchise.”"

Spoelstra laid out the blueprint for Whiteside to get to that level. When he says “post up efficiently within the context of an offense” that’s coach speak for not being a ball hog.

Whiteside had a tendency to slow down the offense when he got the ball on the block. He’d work in the post, but would often take inefficient shots. To correct this, he needs to have a go-to move or two (think Dwyane Wade’s fade away and counter spin, for example). He also needs to “make the right reads” aka pass the ball when he doesn’t have a shot. Whiteside is a notoriously reluctant passer, even though he showed improvement in that regard as the season went on.

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Whiteside is a dominating defensive force, and on offense has a ton of potential. He has a nice touch on his mid-range shot, and if he can develop an ability to make the right reads from the elbow or high post, he could become fearsome on that end as well.