Miami Heat: 2018-19 NBA season preview

Storyline 2: How will it go with Hassan Whiteside?

To put it lightly, Hassan Whiteside’s 2017-18 season was incredibly rocky. He battled various injuries throughout the year and missed 28 games as a result

Making matters worse, Whiteside often struggled to make a meaningful impact on the court. His counting stats, 14.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, were not far off from his usual averages. But an inability to switch onto perimeter players on defense lead to several late fourth quarter benchings.

Miami also had a +2.0 net rating when Whiteside sat, suggesting its offense was better with Kelly Olynyk on the floor.

After being fined for public comments about his playing time and a playoff performance that brought questions about his effort, the Heat desperately need Whiteside to turn it around. The effectiveness of rim-running bigs in the NBA has certainly declined in recent years, but Whiteside can still alter a game with strong rim protection, rebounding and screen-setting.

Fortunately for Heat fans, he seems to be taking the right approach. Just last week, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that Whiteside spent the offseason working on lateral quickness, post moves and 3-point shooting.