Miami Heat: 2017-18 player grades for Hassan Whiteside

Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside endured a turbulent end to his 2017-18 campaign. Here’s a look back at how he produced over the course of the season.

The conclusion of the 2017-18 NBA season was far from ideal for both Hassan Whiteside and the Miami Heat.

Not only did the Heat bomb out of the first round of the postseason 4-1 to the Philadelphia 76ers, but Whiteside endured possibly the least impressive stretch of play since joining the Heat.

Despite starting in each of the five games, the seven-foot center averaged 5.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in just 15.4 minutes per game. In what became the final game of the season, Whiteside would play just 10 minutes, with reserves Kelly Olynyk and Bam Adebyao handling the majority of the playing time.

The regular season was also a frustrating time for Whiteside, missing 28 games in all due to a variety of ailments. However, he did manage to produce when healthy, averaging 14.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 25.3 minutes per game. Although his playing time dropped by 7.3 minutes per game, his per 36 minutes production actually improved over his career year of 2016-17.

However, this drop in playing time did not impress Whiteside, who at various stages of the season was critical of the manner in which head coach Erik Spoelstra was utilizing his talents. Following a game against the Brooklyn Nets on March 31 in which he did not appear in the final quarter, Whiteside stated:

"“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]…..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.”"

At 28 and with four seasons in Miami under his belt, the relationship between Whiteside and the Heat has reached somewhat of a crossroads. However before looking too far ahead, let’s take a more in-depth view of Whiteside’s 2017-18 season.