Hassan Whiteside Offering Glimpses Of Potential With Miami Heat
By Jared Doyle
@outofboundsjay
Steve Mitchell- USA Today Sports
The Miami Heat dropped another close game on Friday night, losing 105-103 to the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Wizards. The team as a whole played particularly well, especially the bench, but the combined effort wasn’t enough to top the John Wall and the Wizards’ extremely large frontcourt.
One notable silver lining for the Heat in this game was the improved play of recently signed center Hassan Whiteside.
With both Chris Bosh and Josh McRoberts out of the rotation, Whiteside has seen an increase in minutes, and this has allowed him to show his potential to a Heat team in desperate need of a young, athletic shot blocker. Playing just 16 minutes against the Wizards, Whiteside was able to impose his size in the game with six points, seven rebounds, two steals and one block.
This is the exact kind of efficiency the Heat have been looking for in a developmental player, and if he is able to sustain this type of productivity, Whiteside will move up in the rotation.
The Heat are still one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, averaging a meek 35.6 per game, but Whiteside’s size could be the answer to the Heat’s rebounding issues off the bench. Whiteside’s 7-foot, 265-pound frame makes him the biggest player on the Heat’s roster, and that undoubtedly gives him the best chance of making a solid impact in the rotation, especially with Chris Andersen being plugged into the starting lineup.
The Heat’s next game against the Boston Celtics could see another big game from Whiteside, especially with Miami’s need of size against the Celtics’ large frontcourt.
Jared Doyle is a Miami Heat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @outofboundsjay, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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