Miami Heat: Injury hiccups are the team’s next roadblock

Hassan Whiteside was the latest name to grace the Miami Heat injury list, though he is expected to be ready for Wednesday against the New York Knicks.

As if the sting of the one-point loss to the Charlotte Hornets wasn’t bad enough, the Miami Heat must contend with another impediment in its race to full health.

On Monday, two days after the Charlotte game, Hassan Whiteside was diagnosed with a hip/groin strain, sidelining the seventh-year center from the team’s practice.

The injury comes almost exactly a year after Whiteside missed time to another lower body ailment. In 2017, he suffered a bruised knee which held him out of five of Miami’s first six games, only to miss more time later in the season.

Currently, it’s unclear when the strain occurred.

Since starting and playing 33 minutes in Miami’s opener against the Orlando Magic, Whiteside has played consecutively fewer minutes each game, dropping to as few as 24 against the Hornets.

However, reports Tuesday changed the tune of Whiteside’s injury. Despite missing practice, Whiteside is expected to play against the New York Knicks in the Heat’s second home game of the season.

The expectation that Whiteside will play is reassuring, especially considering Miami’s current injury outlook, but should still be taken with copious amounts of salt.

Though Whiteside has looked active and engaged through the preseason and start of the season, his injury history, particularly last year’s, is cause for concern. Despite appearing in 54 games last season, Whiteside admitted that his struggles, including questions about effort and efficiency, stemmed from his lingering injury.

Even earlier in his career, Whiteside had to make the decision on whether playing through his injury would leave the team better or worse than if he was on the bench.

"“You just basically ask yourself if you play, do you think you’re gonna help the team or hurt the team and if you feel like you can play through it,” Whiteside said in 2016. “That’s pretty much it. A lot of my game is athleticism and being mobile.”"

If this scenario is anything like last season, in which he suffered a strained hip flexor and missed time in March, playing through the pain will do more harm than good.

Whiteside is at his best when his body can hold up to the demands of physical paint battles, night after night. His footwork and lateral quickness are key to providing help defense on drives. When he’s not at full strength, things like this become habitual.

Taking a game or two off to return to as close to 100 percent as possible, wouldn’t be entirely terrible.

Still early in the season, Whiteside’s absence would put the spotlight on Bam Adebayo to start at center. The Knicks run Enes Kanter at center, a low post heavy weight, who could be a good test for Adebayo’s future development.

Taking things slow this early in the season should be Miami’s priority.

The NBA year is a marathon, and having as many healthy guys as possible at the finish line, is a huge advantage come playoff time.