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Miami Heat: 3 big questions heading into 2018-19 NBA season

By Simon Smith

MIAMI, FL - FEBRUARY 9: Josh Richardson #0, Hassan Whiteside #21, and Justice Winslow #20 of the Miami Heat during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 9, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - FEBRUARY 9: Josh Richardson #0, Hassan Whiteside #21, and Justice Winslow #20 of the Miami Heat during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 9, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Hderald/TNS via Getty Images)
(Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Hderald/TNS via Getty Images) /

3. How will the center rotation play out?

The 2016-17 season saw Hassan Whiteside establish himself as one of the more dominant centers in the league. After signing a four-year, $98 million contract in the summer of 2016, Whiteside backed up this investment by posting career-high numbers across the board.

However, last season saw a noticeable dip in his production. Not only was he sidelined for 28 games due to a variety of ailments, the emergence in the rotation of Kelly Olynyk and rookie Bam Adebayo saw Whiteside’s playing time drop from 32.6 to 25.3 minutes per game.

So while his court time took a hit, Whiteside’s overall impact on the floor was also clearly not the same. With a net rating for the season of -2.4, the seven-foot Whiteside noticeably trailed Adebayo at 0.0, while Olynyk’s net rating of +4.9 represented the highest rating among the 10 players on the roster who averaged at least 20 minutes per game.

Furthermore, the overall lineup performances also weighed heavily against Whiteside. The following is a look at the best performed lineups over the course of last season:

  • 5-man lineup (at least 140 total minutes played) Bam Adebayo-Wayne Ellington-Kelly Olynyk-Josh Richardson–Justise Winslow; Net Rating: +19.0
  • 4-man lineup (at least 300 minutes) Ellington-Olynyk-Richardson-Winslow; Net Rating: +7.7
  • 3-man lineup (at least 600 minutes) Ellington-Olynyk-Richardson; Net Rating: +9.2
  • 2-man lineup (at least 1,100 minutes) Ellington-Olynyk; Net Rating: +6.2

It’s plain to see there’s a fairly consistent trend among these lineups. Like many teams around the league, the Heat are clearly pushing toward favoring a more small-ball orientated setup.

Considering Olynyk’s ability to stretch the floor, and Adebayo’s combination of athleticism and ability to guard on the perimeter, Whiteside’s overall skill-set appears to becoming more and more superfluous.

Not only do the Heat face the challenge of managing minutes among this trio, they will also be extremely aware of the backlash they face from Whiteside should his playing time continue to decline. Following a number of outbursts last season over his perceived lack of respect from the coaching staff, it’s going to be interesting see just how head coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff handle the situation.

Having said all this, there remains one thing Spoelstra is fully aware of: a healthy and engaged Whiteside is a legitimate difference-maker for the Heat.

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