Miami Heat: The re-emergence of Hassan Whiteside

While the Miami Heat have gotten off to an inconsistent start to the season, center Hassan Whiteside has played like a man possessed.

There’s been a number of storylines surrounding the Miami Heat to commence the 2018-19 season.

The most noteworthy, of course, has been the continued discussions surrounding the Heat’s interests in trading for All-Star Jimmy Butler.

While it’s hard to measure, there’s a great chance the potential uncertainty surrounding the players mentioned in the trade speculation could’ve contributed to the Heat’s 5-6 start.

Additionally, the early-season losses to multiple non-playoff teams has raised significant questions as to the composition of the roster.

Predominantly against some of the quicker teams in the league, these losses have certainly raised the frustrations levels of both Heat officials and fans alike.

However, possibly the most dramatic storyline has been the return to elite form of center Hassan Whiteside.

After finishing last season essentially benched during their five-game playoff series loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Whiteside attacked the offseason head on. Thus far, the results have been profound.

In 10 games, the 7-foot Whiteside has averaged 13.9 points, 15.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game.

Following his monstrous performance against the San Antonio Spurs in which he recorded 29 points, 20 rebounds and nine blocks, head coach Erik Spoelstra was highly effusive in his praise:

Overall, Whiteside is second in the league in rebounds and first in blocks.

After seeing his playing time drop from 32.6 to 25.3 minutes per game, Whiteside’s run has risen to 28.8 minutes per game this season, with the former Marshall product clearly regaining the confidence of coach Spoelstra.

However, there are a couple of numbers that stand out as it pertains to Whiteside’s overall production. Firstly, his defensive rebounding percentage has risen from 31.7 to 36.5 percent, while his overall rebounding percentage has jumped from 21.8 to 24.2 percent.

Secondly, the shooting percentage of his immediate opponent this season has changed dramatically. After they shot at a 47.1 percent clip last season, Whiteside has kept his direct opponent to an anaemic 38.4 percent, clearly aware of his shot-altercating capabilities.

Following the postseason flame-out in which Whiteside averaged just 15.4 minutes per game, team president Pat Riley was openly critical of the manner in which Whiteside performed and competed in the series.

Recently, he was much more positive in his assessment of the 29-year-old:

"“He has the motivation this year to want to do something to dispel a lot of the stuff that was written about him last year. And it was deserved, what was written about him, deservedly so. I think he’s responded to it because that’s what this game is about.”"

Above all, its been Whiteside’s energy levels that have been most noticeable in the early going this season. After registering 20 or more rebounds on three occasions in 54 games last season, Whiteside has already matched that in just 10 games in 2018-19.

Furthermore, with his block rate jumping from 1.7 to 3.5 per game, the Heat are once again witnessing the player they awarded a $98 million contract in the summer of 2016.

So while the early season output of the Heat has been shaky at best, Whiteside has proven to be possibly their most consistent overall performer to this point.