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Miami Heat: 5 Reasons Hassan Whiteside Is For Real

By Jackson Sanders

Jan 27, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) reacts after being fouled during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at American Airlines Arena. The Bucks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 27, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) reacts after being fouled during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at American Airlines Arena. The Bucks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 23, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) shoots the ball over Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) during the second half at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans won 93-90. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) shoots the ball over Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) during the second half at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans won 93-90. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Reason No. 3: Rim Protection Potential

Even if Hassan Whiteside fails to be the double-double machine that we saw last season, he has a developing skill that should make him a highly coveted asset: rim protection.

Swatting shots was his calling card as a collegiate prospect — he sent back 5.4 shots per game in his lone season at Marshall — and he continued to utilize that part of his game when he finally saw the court for the Sacramento Kings in 2011-12, picking up 5.0 blocks per 36 minutes.

When he finally seized his opportunity with Miami, Whiteside put up an elite-level 2.6 blocks in 23.6 minutes per contest. Even if his absurd block rate of 9.0 percent regresses — and it surely will as he takes on more minutes this season — he still should see himself among the league leaders in that category.

Last season, Rudy Gobert led the NBA with a 7.0 percent block rate, while highly touted shot blockers like Anthony Davis (6.2 percent), Serge Ibaka (5.8 percent), and DeAndre Jordan (5.4 percent) rounded out the top-four. Whiteside — who didn’t qualify for the leaderboard due to his (lack of) games played — would have easily been the No. 1 shot blocker had he played the entire season at a pace similar to his breakout second half.

NBA aficionados will be the first to let you know that blocked shots are the window dressing of rim protection; they look nice, but the real substance is altering opponent shots, and forcing misses outside of the highlight-reel rejections.

Hassan Whiteside is not elite in this category, at least not yet, but opponents made 57.5-percent of field goals in the restricted area against him last season, and that has him ahead of plenty of coveted big men, per NBA.com. Derrick Favors (58.9 percent), DeAndre Jordan (59 percent), and Robin Lopez (59.2 percent) all finished behind Whiteside in that area. The gold standard was Andrew Bogut, who only allowed 51.6 percent, but elite rim protectors like Rudy Gobert and Roy Hibbert fell around the 55 percent allowed mark.

Per Nylon Calculus, Whiteside ranked ahead of guys like Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan and Marc Gasol in rim field goal percentage allowed. Additionally, the website has Whiteside at the fourth most points saved per 36 minutes in the entire NBA.

So, the blocks should be there, and if he can continue to build on a solid “first” season as a contributor at the NBA level, he should be able to make his way up the ranks of the best rim protectors in the game.

Next: Another Late Bloomer

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