Miami Heat big man Hassan Whiteside has a goal in mind this season

Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside is ready to really show the league what he’s made of.

With the exception of the Atlanta Hawks game, where he was limited to only 15 minutes of play, Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside has  been averaging a double-double so far this season.

In fact, he is currently leading the NBA in blocks with 3.4 per game (giving him a slight edge over former MVP candidate, Anthony Davis) and is second in the league in rebounds a contest, only trailing Andre Drummond‘s 16.6 rebounds per matchup, with his own 15.2.

His goal for 2018-19 though? To come out on top in both.

Well so far, so good.

He dominated the rankings on Wednesday night after the team’s win over the San Antonio Spurs; he led in rebounds with 20 that evening, and ranked fifth overall with 29 points, seven points behind point leader, Victor Oladipo.

A truly dominant performance for Miami’s franchise star, he crushed the boards and handled LaMarcus Aldridge with precise defense, having finished the win with 29 points, 20 rebounds, and nine blocks.

He was the definition of unstoppable.

No other player had achieved such an iconic stat-line since 1989, when Hakeem Olajuwon produced a similar performance.

And before that, it hadn’t been done since 1984.

Whiteside even managed to record a new Heat franchise record of eight blocks in the first half; a nice reminder that Agent Block still has some tricks up his sleeve.

It wasn’t always like this though. As fans still like to remind him, he endured some difficult moments last year.

Something he wants to greatly forget.

Last season, he slipped and then completely disappeared in the playoffs.

It’s true that despite being sidelined with a knee injury, he still averaged a double-double with 14.0 points and 11.4 rebounds a game. But unfortunately, his overall ranking was nevertheless affected, due to insufficient games played.

Blake Griffin ranked 30th overall with 7.4 rebounds per game and the minimum games played at 58.

Whiteside had 54.

In other words, last year was a wash.

This time around though, it seems he has found a new light.

The only issue, like seasons prior, are his knees; and he has voiced his frustration with both his injuries, as well as the limited role within the team too.

Now all bets are off.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra has granted him more flexibility on the court now that he’s healthy, including the ability to shoot 3’s now.

Although he’s currently 1-of-6 from behind the arc, the important part is that he can now express himself without limitations on the court.

That has to be a upgrade for his arsenal.

More than anything, it’s an upgrade for his role as a dominant big guy.

If he continues at this rate, then he can not only achieve his own personal goal of being number one in rebounds and blocks, but also make a run at the double-double leader of the league (and maybe dethrone Joel Embiid‘s rebounding reign).

He just needs to manage his minutes and rest accordingly, to avoid any more bumps and bruises along the way.

For now, he’s well on his way to becoming a defensive king.