This was some other kind of insane performance for Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside:
I’m pretty sure at some point during those highlights Whiteside ate the actual basketball. He posted a triple-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 12 blocks in only 25 minutes. Whiteside joins Joakim Noah, Larry Sanders, Roy Hibbert, JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, Marcus Camby, Andrei Kirilenko, Jermaine O’Neal, Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutumbo as the only players since the year 2000 to have a triple-double with points, rebounds and blocks.
Whiteside is averaging 17.4 points, 14 rebounds and 5.8 blocks per 36 minutes in 18 games this season. At this point he’s only playing 15.9 minutes per game, but that number has jumped to 21.7 in the month of January. He’s played 29 minutes twice, yet has never hit the 30-mark.
How much can he handle? I don’t have the answer to that question, only Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra does. I think it’s fair to say we see how far he can push Whiteside in the very near future.
Other notes from the fantasy basketball world on Sunday night:
- Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler: I wonder if Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau goes to sleep at night thinking, “Oops I did it again”? Get it? Did you get that one? No you didn’t, well here’s the video (Oh my god I’m old).
- If you don’t admit you’re happy I linked that video you’re lying and don’t deserve to read the rest of this. It seems Thibs is once again riding another player into the ground. In the month of January, Butler field goal percentage is down to 40.2 percent. On the season he’s shooting 61 percent at the rim and this month that’s down to 54 percent. I’m betting we saw the best from Butler already this season and would move him if I could get another player of his caliber.
- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah: Noah has returned from ankle injury and played in Chicago’s last two games. He’s seen 22 and 23 minutes. The stats haven’t been pretty for Noah this season and that hasn’t changed in the last two. Combined he put up 10 points, four turnovers, four blocks, four assists and 12 rebounds. Noah also shot 4-for-13 from the field. Bad year all around for those who invested in Noah early in their drafts or for big money in auctions. He’s been like the running back in fantasy basketball coming crashing down from overuse.
- Minnesota Timberwolves forward Thaddeus Young: Finally, we get to be positive! Hi, Thad Young, nice of you to start being good again. Young’s last five games he’s averaging 19 points on 50 percent shooting with 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals. More of this please! On the season Young is only averaging 14.1 points on 44.3 percent shooting with 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He’s also been getting an extra four minutes a game. Trending up.
- Detroit Pistons point guard D.J. Augustin: That’s the way to announce yourself as a viable fantasy basketball option. In his first game filling in for Brandon Jennings, who is out for the season, Augustin went off for 35 points, eight assists and four rebounds. He made five threes and 12-of-20 shots overall. Augustin’s per 36 minutes stats this season have been strong and that’s with poor shooting overall and from three. If he can bump that up to what he was doing in Chicago or somewhat close he’s going to be really good in fantasy the second half of the season. Augustin is a must-add in all leagues.