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Miami Heat 1-on-1: Is 2017-18 indicative of Hassan Whiteside’s future?

By Jack Leniart

MIAMI, FL - APRIL 3: Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Miami Heat speaks to the media after the game against the Atlanta Hawks on April 3, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - APRIL 3: Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Miami Heat speaks to the media after the game against the Atlanta Hawks on April 3, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 16: Head Coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat calls a play during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 16, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 16: Head Coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat calls a play during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 16, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Ok but do you think head coach Erik Spoelstra has been utilizing him properly?

Leniart: I think head coach Erik Spoelstra has done a good enough job utilizing Hassan Whiteside these past two seasons. It can be frustrating as a fan to watch the highest-paid player on the team have his minutes reduced due to scheme, but I think we all need to defer to the expertise of the Heat coaching staff.

Spoelstra is in an impossibly tough situation with Whiteside. Whiteside has the size and talent to succeed in the NBA, but he lacks the mental fortitude and composure necessary to be an elite player. Spoelstra knows the value Whiteside can bring to the team on both ends of the court, but he doesn’t have full trust in him. Until Whiteside can prove himself worthy of the staff’s complete trust, he will be kept on a relatively short leash.

Tachauer: This is a hard question for me to answer, mostly because I generally think of Spoelstra as a tremendous coach and I would never want to take away from everything he’s been able to accomplish. However, I do think he struggled with his rotations last season. Which includes figuring out how to properly slot Whiteside back in, once he returned from injury.

Although there weren’t too many changes to the 2017-18 roster from the previous year, just adding Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk to the mix was enough to cause Spoelstra some issues. Add that on top of the seemingly never-ending injuries and it’s easy to see why rotations weren’t exactly easy to manage.

Still, I think Spoelstra could have given Whiteside a bit more responsibility once he returned, especially when it came to his role in the playoffs. At that point it seemed like upping Whiteside’s minutes could have only helped the team, especially given that Joel Embiid was banged up.

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