Some feel that Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside was snubbed from the All-Star game last season. Can he make it for the first time in 2018?
Following the exodus of All-Stars from the Eastern Conference this summer, several young players will have a chance to make their first All-Star appearance in the upcoming season.
ESPN predicted the players who are most likely to make their first All-Star team in February. Voters were allowed to select up to five names for both the East and West, and Whiteside was one of the top-seven vote getters.
One could argue that Whiteside should have made the All-Star game last season. He led the league in rebounds with 14.1 per game, and is among the more prolific shot blockers in the league.
His 2016-17 averages of 17 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game were better than Andre Drummond’s All-Star 2015-16 season averages of 16.2 points, 14.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
Related: ESPN’s predicts the Heat will finish seventh in the East
As ESPN points out, putting up those numbers and not making the All-Star game had never happened before.
"When it comes to All-Star production, Whiteside is already there. He averaged 17 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks per game, just the 13th time anyone has done that for an entire season, but the first time anyone has done it and not made the All-Star team"
However, it may not be Whiteside’s performance that led to him being snubbed. The Heat’s record in the first half was bad. They were 16-30 at the time the All-Star teams were announced. It wasn’t until after the first half of the season that the Heat got it together and made a push for the playoffs.
The Heat shouldn’t stumble out of the gates like they did last season. If they are competitive in the conference through the first half, and Whiteside continues to put up comparable numbers, he should garner consideration for his first All-Star game.
Next: Hassan Whiteside continues to develop
We know how Whiteside feels about being snubbed (hint: not a fan), but he’s also improved in each of his three seasons with the Heat. Going into his second year after signing a max contract, he’s the face of a team that could badly use an All-Star. He’s likely their best chance to be represented in February of the 2017-18 season.