Miami Heat: Hassan Whiteside’s days could be numbered

Following an after-game outburst, Hassan Whiteside’s tenure with the Miami Heat appears to be on a knife’s edge moving forward.

For the majority of this season, Hassan Whiteside has been like a virtual volcano waiting to erupt. The inevitable eruption occurred following the Miami Heat‘s 110-109 overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets in which Whiteside played just 20 minutes, not appearing after exiting with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter.

Granted, Whiteside was playing in just his second game after returning from a nine-game absence due to a knee injury. However, his tone following the game indicated he was no longer in any mood for playing the company line:

"“Why are we matching up? We’ve got one of the best centers in the league. Why are we matching up? A lot of teams don’t have a good center. They are going to use their strengths. It’s bull [expletive]. It’s really bull [expletive], man. There are a lot of teams that can use a center. [Expletive]. That’s one of them. That’s bull [expletive].”"

Coming off a breakout season, Whiteside certainly wasn’t expecting the type of season he’s endured thus far with the Heat. After averaging 32.6 minutes per game on his way to posting 17.0 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, Whiteside has seen his playing time drop significantly to 25.6 minutes per game while averaging 14.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.

Last season, the Heat employed Willie Reed as their primary center coming off the bench, and while he was a serviceable backup to Whiteside, he was never a serious threat to him in terms of playing time and overall production levels.

Fast forward to this season, where the Heat have added two versatile backups to Whiteside in free agent signing Kelly Olynyk and first round draft pick Bam Adebayo. In the case of Olynyk, his ability to play both the 4 and 5 spots makes him a far more versatile option than Whiteside, whereas Adebayo’s clear advantage of being able to jump out and guard on the perimeter has meant that Whiteside has been far less utilized than last season.

In fact, over the course of the season, here’s how the Heat’s three primary options at center have been utilized in the fourth quarter:

Heat center’s appearances in fourth quarter:

• Olynyk: 64 games, 7.6 minutes per game
• Adebayo: 52 games, 6.3 minutes per game
• Whiteside: 29 games, 5.9 minutes per game

After averaging 7.3 minutes in 71 fourth quarter appearances last season, this represents some downturn for Whiteside. As it pertains specifically to his lack of minutes, Whiteside added following the Nets game:

"“I don’t know if it’s because I’m on a minutes restriction. The minutes have been like that all year. It’s really frustrating. It’s been frustrating. It’s tough. I don’t know, man. It’s crazy. I don’t understand it.”"

Unlike last season in which he played 77 games, Whiteside has endured an injury-campaign, making just 49 appearances with just five games remaining. While these interruptions have contributed somewhat to his limited game-time, the combination of the Heat’s depth at center and the ever-increasing use of small-ball throughout the league has made use of the seven-foot product of Marshall less desirable than previous seasons.

Moving forward, the Heat still have Whiteside on the books for $25.4 million next season, with a player option of $27.1 for the 2019-20 season. Still just 28, and clearly capable of providing a dominating presence when engaged and motivated, there are certainly teams around the league who could benefit from Whiteside’s presence in the middle for their franchise.

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However, with a changing focus around the league and a significant pay-packet, finding a potential new home for Whiteside is much easier said than done. Having said this, if such outbursts continue in there near future, the Heat front office will have no choice but to move on from the player currently ranked third for blocks in Heat franchise history.