Miami Heat: A healthy Hassan Whiteside is needed for the playoffs

The Miami Heat need a healthy and consistent Hassan Whiteside to have a chance to advance in the NBA playoffs.

Currently, the Miami Heat sit seventh in the Eastern Conference and have a seven-game lead on the ninth place Detroit Pistons. So, barring any collapses, the Heat are playoff bound. But how far will they go is the question?

Yes, much of the NBA community knows what shooting guard Dwayne Wade will bring to the playoff table. But what’s entirely unknown, is what will Hassan Whiteside bring?

• Will  Whiteside be completely healthy?
• Will Whiteside be consistent?
• Will Whiteside play in games down the stretch in the fourth quarter?

Stats At A Glance: Whiteside is averaging career highs in points (14.3) and rebounds (11.8). His blocks (1.7) are down compared to his career average of (2.5). His shooting percentage is down at 55 percent, compared to his career average of 58 percent. He’s averaging 25.9 minutes compared to his career average of 26.9.

This year’s version of Whiteside is a far cry from the 2016-17 version, in which he averaged 17.0 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks a contest, while starting 77 games.

However, this season, Whiteside has only appeared and started in 47 games out of the possible 71 available. Could this trend continue headed into the playoffs? With nine games left in the Heat’s regular season schedule, it remains to be seen how many more games Whiteside will miss.

The Miami Heat need a healthy and consistent Hassan Whiteside

For the record, the Heat are 3-2 in Whiteside’s absence, as he’s been out due to a hip injury. In those five games, the Heat have given up close to 114.4 points a game. The Heat have been a top 10 defensive efficiency team for most of the season, though now that number has trended down to 16th. Part of that reason being that there’s no rim protection, and in the paint presence, defensively.

Interesting to note: The Heat could be taking a precautionary approach with Whiteside by keeping him out of the lineup, in hopes of having him 100 percent healthy and ready for the playoffs.

Regardless of if the Heat end up facing the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors, they don’t have the luxury of a roster full of talented defensive big men, who can dominate on the offensive end as well, in particular inside the paint.

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Therefore, it’s imperative that Whiteside be healthy and consistent for any hopes of the Heat advancing in the playoffs.