Hoops Habit
Fansided

Portland Trail Blazers: Hassan Whiteside’s numbers aren’t “empty stats”

By Marlow Ferguson Jr.

PORTLAND, OREGON - NOVEMBER 29: Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Portland Trail Blazers walks off the court after the game against the Chicago Bulls at the Moda Center on November 29, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers won 107-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - NOVEMBER 29: Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Portland Trail Blazers walks off the court after the game against the Chicago Bulls at the Moda Center on November 29, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers won 107-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next

Portland Trail Blazers center Hassan Whiteside has been stigmatized as an “empty stats” player throughout his career. Common sense and numbers tell a completely different story.

In the world we live in today, there are two — and only two — types of people: those who view Portland Trail Blazers center Hassan Whiteside as an empty stats guy, and those who don’t.

Unfortunately for the latter, cooler heads have rarely prevailed when discussing players and their perceived negatives. Many of us can probably remember where we were the day a Heat fan told us we wouldn’t appreciate what Whiteside brought to the table. Unofficially, he’s become one of the prototypical chess pawns in the never-ending eye test vs. box score statistics debate.

None of us came into this season hoping to be forced to investigate whether or not Whiteside was an “empty stats” guy or not, but here we are. Last season’s frontcourt cavalry either: a) aren’t on the roster anymore, b) have spent more time in suits than threads (Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins have missed 123 of a possible 126 games), or c) have been traded (Anthony Tolliver, Skal Labissiere, etc).

In more ways than one, he’s been a sufficient stopgap for the Blazers, in large part just because of sheer availability. This year, only four centers have logged more than Whiteside’s 1,769 minutes played.

Also. A closer look at Damian Lillard's greatest threat. light

To understand why Portland Trail Blazers fans are still ambivalent about Whiteside’s impact, we should first explain what an “empty stats” player is.

Historically “empty stats” producers are defined as players who run up gaudy numbers that seldom contribute to winning, and would be irrelevant on championship-contending teams. That argues that Whiteside is a causation of below-average teams. This line of thinking would make seasons like Kevin Love’s Minnesota tenure or Charlotte’s run with Kemba Walker null-and-void.

All that in mind, a quick look into how Whiteside gets his numbers — and a small dose of common sense — should help to kill off that agenda, at least for this season’s sake.

Home/Portland Trail Blazers