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Miami Heat 1-on-1: Counting down to another season

By Imran Ebrahim

MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 10: Tyler Johnson #8 of the Miami Heat handles the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans during a pre-season game on October 10, 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 - OCTOBER 10: Tyler Johnson #8 of the Miami Heat handles the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans during a pre-season game on October 10, 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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MIAMI, FL – OCTOBER 08: Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Miami Heat reacts against the Orlando Magic during the first half at American Airlines Arena on October 8, 2018 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. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – OCTOBER 08: Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Miami Heat reacts against the Orlando Magic during the first half at American Airlines Arena on October 8, 2018 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. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Has Hassan Whiteside restored your faith in him yet?

Ebrahim: Looking at the stats, I was definitely considering saying yes to this. After all, he started the preseason with a 20-point and 13-rebound double-double, and followed it up with a 14-point and 15-rebound double-double. But what I noticed looking at the stats, is that his play actually got worse throughout the preseason… Does this mean that opponents have been holding back their starters until the later games? Or did he dominate the starters already and Spoelstra just dialled back his usage? He’s played roughly the same amount of minutes each game, so there has to be more to the story. While his rebounding stayed roughly the same, his shooting declined rapidly and his assists continue to remain non-existent. The good thing is that he’s only taken two 3-pointers so far, especially when he had all the fans worried that he would be shooting from all over the place after this offseason.

Rahming: Whiteside has restored my faith in his skillset and mindset coming into this season. But, what I’m not sure about is whether he will get what he desires from Spoelstra. Whiteside truly wants a get out of jail free card. His skill is great, but he wants to be allowed to stay on the floor and work through his mistakes. Whiteside is a volume player who takes a second to warm up in game and get going. Being yanked off the floor after every mishap, actually damages his ability to recover, thus pushing him further into the sunken place. When he looks around the league and sees guys like Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, JaVale McGee, and DeAndre Jordan, who seem to be able to stay on the court despite missed free throws, defensive errors, missed shots, and in some cases foul trouble, it makes him question why he can’t get that level of treatment. It’s clear he’s the best center on the roster. Let him live a little, even if he fouls out some games.

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