Heat’s Dynamic (Bench) Duo: Hassan Whiteside, Josh Richardson

The Miami Heat have found a pairing in Hassan Whiteside and Josh Richardson off the bench that has helped propel them since the All-Star break.

The Miami Heat‘s season looked to be hanging on by a thread coming out of the All-Star break. With a record of 29-24 there were real concerns about their season outlook as Chris Bosh was about to be sidelined because of another blood clot scare.

Add in the mounting injuries in the backcourt, as Beno Udrih joined Tyler Johnson as essentially out for the season, and the Heat were staring down the barrel of what looked to be a very difficult post All-Star break stretch.

But, as every good team does, the Heat have found a way to make due. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has been pulling strings and hitting the right buttons all season, and he did it again when he formed a strong duo off the bench in Hassan Whiteside and Josh Richardson.

Whiteside had started the first 41 games he played in this year, while Richardson was more often than not a DNP-Coach’s Decision leading into the All-Star break. Yet, Spoelstra had confidence in the players that they could make it work, and they have not disappointed.

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Whiteside has thrived off the bench, making the most of the change instead of looking at it as a demotion. With the second unit he has seen his stats improve across the board, as he is more involved offensively. yet his efficiency has not dropped.

He is averaging 16.6 points per game off the bench not only because he is taking more shots, but because he has found his stroke at the free throw line.

For his career, Whiteside is a poor free throw shooter, making only 58.7 percent from the charity stripe. Last season he was 50 percent and in his previous stint in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings he was 41.7 percent. But, since moving to the bench, Whiteside has improved his free throw shooting to a respectable 74.8 percent.

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That has allowed Spoelstra to leave Whiteside on the court in crunch time because he does not have to worry about him being a liability in close games at the free throw line like some other centers in the NBA.

Whiteside has been outstanding post All-Star break, averaging 17.9 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. He has not pouted about coming off the bench, something he may have done earlier in the season. Instead, he has taken it in stride and continued building on his case for a max contract this summer when he hits free agency.

Richardson may not be posting gaudy stats such as Whiteside or be in line for a max contract this offseason, but he has been instrumental to the Heat’s success as well off the bench. The rookie second-round pick from Tennessee has been thrown into the fire and responded as well as the team could have hoped.

When Udrih went down, leaving the Heat with no point guards outside of Goran Dragic, they did not make a panic move and try acquiring another guard. Instead, they handed the keys to Richardson, a life-long shooting guard, to run the offense with the second unit.

While Richardson is not always the primary ball handler, as he will usually share the court with Dragic or Dwyane Wade, who have the ball in their hands a majority of the time, he has been a revelation with the second unit and stepping up big time.

Since the All-Star break, Richardson has found himself as a prominent member of the Heat’s rotation. After averaging only 11.5 minutes in 23 games prior to the break, Richardson is now seeing the court for an average of 28.3 minutes in the 24 games after it.

In that time, he has averaged 10.9 points with 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. His size allows the Heat to mix and match in the backcourt, as he can defend either point guard or shooting guard. Richardson has also helped the Heat immensely from beyond the arc, knocking down three-pointers at a staggering 60.3 percent clip since the All-Star break.

While that is probably unsustainable, it has given the Heat a legitimate three-point threat that they have been lacking all season.

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With five games remaining in their regular season, the Heat still have a chance of moving up to third place in the Eastern Conference. If they are to overtake the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks, the two teams ahead of them, Whiteside and Richardson will undoubtedly play a role.