How the Heat’s offense would change if Whiteside added a 3-point shot

The Miami Heat’s franchise center mentioned he plans on adding an outside shot to complement his dominant inside game. How would Hassan Whiteside’s 3-point shot change the Heat’s offense? 

Much of the Miami Heat’s offseason will be centered around their activity in free agency, but there is an interesting development taking place from a player currently on the team’s roster. As Hassan Whiteside told the South-Florida Sun Sentinel, he plans to work on his outside shooting.

"“I might shoot a three every once and a while,” Whiteside said. While he clarified further, saying he was still “more about getting in the paint,” he would put in the work this offseason to develop his jumper."

Whiteside has made his name as a dominant inside presence but what would his game look like from the perimeter and how would it affect the Heat’s offensive attack?

To get an idea of how the Heat use a center as a 3-point shooter, you have to go back to the last player to fill this role: Chris Bosh.

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When Bosh arrived from Toronto with LeBron James during the historic summer of 2010, one of the biggest questions would be just how he would fit into the team’s offensive attack with such ball-dominant players like James and Dwyane Wade. How would Bosh provide the appropriate spacing to allow James and Wade to get to the rim while still putting up the type of numbers that made him an All-Star in Toronto?

Coach Erik Spoelstra put Bosh to work in their first year together in hopes of ultimately deploying lineups with Bosh at the center position, using his versatility to space out defenses. It was understandably a work in progress initially but every year Bosh improved his 3-point percentage, the culmination of work coming in Game 7 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics where Bosh hit three 3-pointers while opening up the lane for Wade and James to gash the Boston defense.

At its peak, lineups with Bosh at the center position often included him never even entering the restricted area. Initial actions regularly started with Bosh in one of the corners, drawing his man away from the rim. This is where it’d make the most sense for Whiteside to start especially considering he is far less mobile than Bosh.

If Whiteside were to develop a 3-point shot the Heat would be able to revisit their most explosive offensive era, putting a variety of shooting threats on the floor at once while also opening up the driving lane for Goran Dragic, Waiters (if re-signed) and potential free agents like Gordon Hayward.

Another area where Whiteside’s shooting would flourish would be in pick-and-roll scenarios. Bosh developed his above-the-break 3 over the years to the point where it was his primary action within the Heat’s offensive sets. As Bosh evolved from the corner to operating above the break, he’d take advantage of James’ command of double teams for a number of wide open attempts.

Whiteside would have slightly less success, as LeBron James is no longer in Miami and the Heat don’t have a player that commands an automatic double team. That could all change with the addition of someone like Hayward.

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Ultimately for Whiteside’s potential outside shot to thrive, the Heat will have to add more threats in the vein of James and Wade, players who command the attention of the defense with their ability to get to the rim. The Heat won championships working from the inside out, putting James in the lane to draw the defense and open up the outside shooting. The same can be done now, especially as Spoelstra looks to move towards a 3-point heavy offense.