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Portland Trail Blazers: Hassan Whiteside’s numbers aren’t “empty stats”

By Marlow Ferguson Jr.

PORTLAND, OREGON - NOVEMBER 29: Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Portland Trail Blazers walks off the court after the game against the Chicago Bulls at the Moda Center on November 29, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers won 107-103. 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. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - NOVEMBER 29: Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Portland Trail Blazers walks off the court after the game against the Chicago Bulls at the Moda Center on November 29, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers won 107-103. 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. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /
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Hassan Whiteside
(Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) /

Whiteside gives the Blazers another cold-blooded late game option

Can you imagine a situation in which a player hits a clutch bucket for his team on the road, closes the game out, and still can’t shake the narrative that he’s only playing for stats?

I can. And thanks to the Internet, you can too. The moment that comes to mind is Feb. 1 — the very first game at STAPLES Center following the death of Kobe Bryant and eight others — when Hassan Whiteside provided his best Mamba impression with a slew-footed turnaround jumper to ice the game.

Outlets made a big deal of that shot, but one glance at the statistics, and you find that Whiteside has been one of the Portland Trail Blazers’ offensive fulcrums all season long in fourth quarters of games, something that gets undervalued from time-to-time.

This year, the former second-round pick has been dominant in the fourth quarters of games, peaking at a 72.1 field goal percentage. If you’re into the per 100 possession splits, the Portland Trail Blazers have been at a +3.6 with Whiteside anchoring two-way, the highest of any quarter.

We live in the Microsoft Excel generation where experts have made it an indoctrination that first quarter points are just as pressure-packed and as important as those in the fourth quarter. It feels nonsensical to me; in the first quarter, attempts and opportunities are still plentiful, and players know they have three quarters worth of time to make that up.

Also. Discussing CJ McCollum's legacy with the Blazers. light

Fatigue and stress aren’t as much of a factor. Skip this section if need be; unfortunately, it had to be mentioned. In considering that aforementioned game against the hottest team in the Western Conference, it’s hard to decipher when and where Whiteside is recklessly hunting numbers at the expense of winning a game.

Whiteside’s fourth quarter effectiveness comes in large part due to his ability to corral misses, and put them in for quick scores. This year, he’s the No. 1 scorer in the NBA — on putbacks at least — at 4.3 points per game, and on a blistering 1.29 points per possession.

Factor in that the Portland Trail Blazers already have the de facto go-to crunch time scorer in Damian Lillard, and proven late-game assassins ranging from CJ  McCollum and Carmelo Anthony, and you have a team that can toggle through an abundance of options in pressure moments.

About one in every four of Whiteside’s buckets came in this form, and it’s allowed him to enjoy a reputation as an elite big, and put the numbers of well, something more than that.

That’s not to say that Whiteside isn’t without his own limitations. But even so, those flaws are mostly understandable, and here’s why.

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