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Hassan Whiteside’s Mind-Blowing Superstar Numbers

By Mark Vandeusen

Jan 27, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) reacts after being fouled during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at American Airlines Arena. The Bucks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 27, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) reacts after being fouled during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at American Airlines Arena. The Bucks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Less than two weeks ago many NBA fans had never even heard of Hassan Whiteside.

On Wednesday night Whiteside scored 24 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, the most recent outstanding performance in an absurd 11-day stretch for the Miami Heat center.

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Over his last six games, Whiteside is averaging 16.8 points, 15.3 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per contest.  Those are spectacular stats for an experienced All-Star, let alone a former second-round pick who played in both Lebanon and China last year.

Whiteside was chosen by the Sacramento Kings with the 33rd overall selection in Round 2 of the 2010 draft.  Over two seasons in Sacramento he appeared in only 19 games and scored a total of 29 points.  Whiteside did not play in the NBA in either 2012-13 or 2013-14.  After multiple stints in the D-League and overseas, Whiteside finally caught on with the Heat last fall.

He saw his first NBA action in more than two-and-a-half years on Dec. 1.

Just more than a month later Whiteside posted his first career double-double, scoring 11 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 4.  A week after that he went for 23 and 16 in a road victory against the Los Angeles Clippers.

On Jan. 25 Whiteside exploded for 14 points, 13 rebounds and 12 blocks in a win over the Bulls in Chicago.  It marked the first triple-double in the league to include blocks since Joakim Noah accomplished the feat in 2013.  The 12 total blocks was also the most in any NBA game by a single player since JaVale McGee had 12 on March 3, 2011.

The last person to post a triple-double with blocks of at least 14, 13 and 12 was Shawn Bradley in 1998.  Even more amazing is that Whiteside did it while playing only 25 minutes.  In the history of the NBA, no one had ever before managed anything close to that in so little time on the court:

Whiteside followed up his historic triple-double with a 16-point, 16-rebound effort vs. the Milwaukee Bucks on January 27.  The game after that he totaled 16 points and 24 boards against the Dallas Mavericks.  The 24 rebounds tied him for the third-highest single-game output in the league this year.

In his first two outings in February Whiteside put up 20 and nine against the Boston Celtics, then 11 and 10 vs. the Detroit Pistons–which brings us up to date with with his 24 and 20 on Wednesday.

Whiteside also shot 12-for-13 (92.3 percent) in Miami’s 102-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.  It marked just the second time this season anyone recorded a field goal percentage over 90 while making at least 12 baskets.  Combined with his 20 rebounds, it represents another extremely rare accomplishment:

Of the ten most recent occasions that any player has recorded 16 points and 16 rebounds, Whiteside now owns three of them.  He is also responsible for two of the last three 16-point, 20-rebound games league-wide (DeAndre Jordan has the other).

An NBA afterthought only two months ago, Whiteside is suddenly producing stats worthy of the top talents in the league.

Next: NBA Stats That Matter And Stats That Don't

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