Hassan Whiteside was on the trade block earlier this season, but Pat Riley ultimately decided to keep the big man. This was a wise move.
The Miami Heat racked up a 103-98 win on Sunday night against the lowly Philadelphia 76ers, and Dwyane Wade‘s team is peaking at the right time. This was their fifth victory in a row.
The Heat have one of the most loaded rosters in the Eastern Conference. Luol Deng, Goran Dragic and Joe Johnson would be primary options on almost half of the teams in the league, and those guys are basically complementary players next to Wade and Whiteside. The recent addition of Johnson has been great for the Heat, and they are 5-0 with the shooting guard on their squad.
Hassan, though, is developing into a superstar. His offensive abilities are underrated. He has some of the best touch around the rim in this league, and that doesn’t even begin to mention his talents defensively.
Whiteside recorded 14 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks against Philly, and he did this despite coming off the bench.
“That’s kind of what I do — block shots and get the crowd going,” he said to ESPN. “D-Wade goes dunk, and I cheer for D-Wade.”
He also has shown improvement on his free throws, and he made 28 out of 30 of his previous trips to the charity stripe before Sunday night’s game. Wade is lucky to have a big man like Whiteside on his side, and he is honestly the best center Dwyane has played with since Shaquille O’Neal.
Hassan provides some issues from a chemistry perspective, but he brings so much to the court that he should be the favorite to win defensive player of the year. Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green will probably get considered as well, but Whiteside is averaging 13.2 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.89 blocks per game and shooting 61.4 percent from the field. Those are averages deserving of some recognition, and hopefully the voters feel the same way and award him the highest honor available for a defensive player.
