At 7’0″, 265 pounds and 25 years of age, Hassan Whiteside is a monster-in-the-making. After seemingly coming out of nowhere in early January, Whiteside has become a staple in the starting lineup for the Miami Heat.
First, it’s important to note how great this young center can be, which was fully on display last night when he put up 18 points, 25 rebounds and four blocks in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Those 25 boards were his career high and the second most in franchise history (behind only Rony Seikaly‘s 34 back in 1993).
More from Miami Heat
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Report: Miami Heat hoping to keep key player out of Lillard trade talks
- Grade the Trade: The Heat pass on Lillard to land an MVP in this proposal
- NBA Rumors: Heat have big plans to upgrade frontcourt if they land Lillard
A few weeks ago, he notched 24 points and 20 boards against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Back on Jan. 25, he recorded a 14-13-12 triple-double in just 25 minutes. In his 24 games in 2015, Whiteside is averaging 14.0 points, 12.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.
He’s a double-double machine who won’t hit free agency until 2016, meaning a Heat core of Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, a healthy Chris Bosh and Whiteside could emerge as Eastern contenders as early as next season. And yet, even though he could be one of the NBA’s next breakout stars, there’s still one thing that could hold him back.
Simply put, Whiteside’s attitude could be the biggest obstacle to fulfilling his potential as the next great NBA center.
Next: The Incident