It’s safe to say that nobody saw this coming from him.
This being an explosively productive breakout NBA season, featuring a triple-double of points, rebounds, and blocks — off the bench.
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Him being Hassan Whiteside, a 25-year-old former second-round draft choice, credited with three seasons (and a mere 42 total games played) in the NBA since being drafted in 2010. The same player who didn’t even sign with his current NBA squad until the 2014-15 season already began.
For the Miami Heat, and for his fantasy owners, Whiteside has been an absolute revelation. In the Heat’s case, he’s providing a presence at a position that the team has been desperate for in recent years. For fantasy owners, he’s providing fantastic rebounds and blocks. For both parties, he came at an extremely cheap price.
With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Miami Heat certainly aren’t considering dealing their new found stud at center. But what about fantasy owners? Should those fortunate enough to have taken a flier on Whiteside look to sell high?
It all depends on if you believe the kid can keep up the production.
The Numbers: A Case Of Enormous Potential
On the surface, Hassan Whiteside’s numbers don’t look like much. His averages of 9.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and and 2.5 blocks aren’t all-time great numbers. In fact, the only elite number he is currently posting on that line are his block totals.
It’s worth noting that Whiteside’s role has increased steadily since late December. He’s averaging 19.2 minutes per game, but is playing around 30 minutes per game over his last five contests. His numbers per 36 minutes look like this: 18.4 points, 15.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 4.6 blocks.
Yes, those numbers are associated with Hassan Whiteside.
Perhaps the craziest number that can be pulled out of his breakout season so far was brought up by Zach Lowe during his appearance on the BS Report Podcast. Currently, Whiteside has a block percentage (percent of all two-point shots blocked while on the floor) of 11.7 percent on the season. The all-time record for a single season is Manute Bol with 10.81 percent (he did it twice).
Only Bol has ever finished a season with a block percentage greater than 10 percent.
So, what does this mean for fantasy? Well, it pretty much tells fantasy owners what they already knew, and confirms what they already thought. Hassan Whiteside is putting up massive numbers when he’s on the court, and his production looks like it’s going to scale as the team continues to hand him minutes, as evidenced by some of the eye-popping statistics he’s been able to put up.
Whether he can continue his all-time pace is debatable, but it’s hard to argue that there is a player with higher upside in blocks and rebounds than Hassan Whiteside right now.
Stash or Sell?
Now that we’ve looked a bit deeper into Hassan Whiteside’s ridiculous numbers, and established that there is historic potential within the season he’s posting right now, should fantasy owners look to strike while the iron’s hot?
The simple answer: probably not.
If Hassan Whiteside is the piece that sparks a deal with, say Kevin Love‘s frustrated owner, landing the Whiteside owner both Love and another potential depth-building asset, then it’s time to sell. However, it’s completely dependent on who’s available, and most owners likely aren’t looking to deal first-round talent for a player picked up on waivers, simply off principle alone if nothing else.
And that’s the problem with attempting to deal Hassan Whiteside right now. He’s producing at a late first-/early second-round clip since he’s burst onto the scene, and is actually playing close to what I thought we’d see out of Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond this season; a player I recommended taking in the latter stages of the first round.
Most fantasy owners aren’t going to be willing to part with a top-30 or top-40 player, along with other assets, in a Whiteside trade.
Not getting a haul in any trade for Whiteside is potentially a massive mistake. He’s a top-20 guy on the ESPN.com Player Rater over the last 30 days, he’s playing at historic levels in terms of blocks production, and he’s in a situation where it could all be sustainable. Trading a player like that requires being completely sold on a deal.
Of course, if you can get a bonafide star for Hassan Whiteside, you do it. But for most, riding out this wave of production from the young center will be the best move.
All stats courtesy www.basketball-reference.com.
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