
Okay, be honest: does Whiteside truly fit the play style of Miami Heat Basketball?
Rahming: So far this season, Whiteside has been paired up with non-shooters, or people who are really only known for making a couple of long-range shots per game. This must change. To build a scheme around your high powered big man, you need more than just Ellington on the 3-point line, ready to shoot. In the first ten games the Heat have played so far this season, Whiteside has been paired with the starters of Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson, and Rodney McGruder, while Spoelstra has also played around with reserves like Derrick Jones Jr, Olynyk, and Justise Winslow. On paper, you might think the starters mentioned above would be fine, as those three average a collective 39.6 percent from deep, but non of them are spot-up shooters. As soon as Whiteside gets position, gets the ball, passes to an open teammate and that player begins to dribble, you’re looking into 8-10 seconds left on the shot clock. That’s not a lot of time in today’s league. The remaining surrounding pieces I mentioned, have combined to shoot 30 percent from beyond the arc. These guys are more amenable to shooting off the catch, but for some reason, they still don’t. It has to be frustrating as a big man of Whiteside’s calibur, to see that happen. To answer the question, no, I don’t think Whiteside fits the style of play of the Miami Heat. It’s unfortunate, but it’s not his fault. Some of it is on management to chose to have stretches of games where the offense runs through him, while some of the onus is on his teammates to become better shooters. Fortunately, the trade deadline is in February and president Pat Riley is primed to make some moves.
Ebrahim: Nope. Not at all. No chance. The one thing that he has going for him is the hustle he’s had to show to get his way back into the NBA. After all, he was drafted with DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins and Isaiah Thomas in Sacramento, and then had a myriad of homes before settling in with the Heat. But there’s a reason it all fell off. I don’t truly believe he fits the style or the Culture of the Miami Heat. The style of the team right now is predicated on the ability to play multiple positions/roles, on both the offensive and defensive ends. Could you imagine Whiteside switching out on Steph Curry the way that Adebayo did? Whiteside benefited from the perfect storm of craziness to grab a max contract from the team. Wade had just left, Chris Bosh was going to be ruled out due to blood clots, and the team only had Dragic to build off of. Once Dallas called him at the start of free agency, you knew he’d come back to a huge figure. I think I’d be genuinely shocked if he was to come back for another contract, and could even see the team stress moving him, when he’s on an expiring deal next season.
Play on, big guy.