Hassan Whiteside Is Missing Piece For Miami Heat’s Offense and Defense

The Miami Heat have managed to lose their first two preseason games, but many positive things have come from these meaningless losses. Having the majority of the roster healthy and intact is a huge positive right off the bat, but one of the team’s top three players has been absent due to a small calf injury. Hassan Whiteside missed all of training camp and these first two preseason games. The Heat’s medical staff have said that Whiteside should be available for the last few preseason games before the regular season starts, but the Heat need him back much sooner than that.

Both the offense and defense have been off based on the continued absence from Whiteside. Offensively, the spacing of the floor for shooters has been slim to none. Whiteside’s presence in the paint forces opposing teams to guard him heavily, sometimes even with a double team. This in turn frees up space for the Heat’s shooters on the wing.

Defensively, having Whiteside in the paint allows the rest of the Heat’s starters to tightly defend their opponent without feeling like they don’t have a second line of defense. Whiteside provides that exact type of relief, but without the three-year center roaming the paint, the Heat players are way less likely to press tightly on defense.

Until Whiteside returns, the Heat is nowhere near there full potential. Whiteside has become one of the Heat’s best players, and most of their playbook is based on him being fully healthy and on the court.

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.