Reason 3 – The Stats Speak for Themselves
Hassan Whiteside is an overall better center than Bam Adebayo. He’s currently 3rd in the NBA in blocks per game (2.4) and 8th in rebounds per game (12.4), which are also both team highs. Second in both of those categories? Bam Adebayo. Of course minute differentiation has a lot to do with the contrast in numbers, but Whiteside averages only 3.8 minutes more per game than Bam, which says a lot for the misguiding hype surrounding Adebayo.
The centers also completely differ in how they play.
At 7’0, 265 lbs., the Great Wall of Whiteside is a force to be reckoned with, and I mean that literally. He’s dominates on defense and puts up okay numbers on offense as well, currently averaging 12.8 points per game. Not to mention that his mentality and game both matured, making him a better player and teammate than last year.
On the other hand, Bam Adebayo is more energetic and active on the court, plus he passes the ball more and has the ability to switch over onto smaller players making his overall defense better than the bigger man Whiteside. His FG% is also slightly higher at 54.1% over Whiteside’s 52.5%. Plus, his teammates and coaches often state how he helps to push the pace and keeps the team energy levels up, especially closing out games in the 4th quarter.
In short, should Bam Adebayo start over Hassan Whiteside? My answer is no, but Bam has proven himself to be a great replacement to starting when Whiteside is unavailable and a better closer of the two when it comes down to crunch time.