Keys Behind Hassan Whiteside’s Emergence: Maturation and the Perfect Fit
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
You know when you’re playing playground basketball and the guy that no one picked turns out to be awesome? That’s kind of what’s happening in Miami right now. Heat fans — long starved for a capable, defensive-minded big man, even in the LeBron Era — are giddy with excitement and perhaps a bit bewildered over the emergence of Hassan Whiteside. Excited because he’s huge, kicking ass and showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. Bewildered because they’re not exactly sure how someone in possession of such size and athleticism just sort of fell into their lap.
Everyone loves a feel-good story. Heck, sometimes I watch those soldier surprise homecoming videos just to get the tear ducts flowing. If Whiteside, whose inspiring journey back to the League has made headlines across the nation, keeps up his recent play, he’ll have Heat fans singing Kumbaya by week’s end.
After one season at Marshall, in which he led the nation in blocked shots, Whiteside was drafted 33rd overall in 2010 by the Sacramento Kings. Despite earning a contract with the Kings, Whiteside’s mind and body were ill-prepared for the transition to the Big Show. Thus, after two injury-riddled seasons, Whiteside found himself on a strange basketball journey that included stops in China, Lebanon, and multiple stints in the D-League.
When he signed a partially guaranteed contract with Miami in December, no one thought much about it. Then something strange happened: Whiteside turned out to be pretty damn good. In the month of January, he is averaging 13.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.5 blocks in 24.1 minutes per game.
So, just how is the young big man finding so much success in the league this time around?
Genetics: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Whiteside’s father, Hasson Arbubakrr, was a hulking defensive end who played a number of years in the NFL and CFL before starting a body guard business in New Jersey. As for Whiteside, the man is blessed with absurd size and athleticism. Standing 7-foot tall with a freakish 7-foot-7 wingspan and athleticism to boot, you have to wonder how so many teams took a pass on this guy. According to NBA.com, Whiteside is not only blocking 4.7 shots per 36 minutes, he’s also holding opponents to 41.5 percent shooting within 6-feet of the basket. That’s a whopping 19.1 percentage points lower than the league defensive average. Simply put, his massive size is a game changer. Just ask Blake Griffin.
Maturation: While he likely didn’t realize it at the time, getting booted from the league was probably the best thing that could have happened to Whiteside. Here’s an excerpt from his DraftExpress report coming into the league in 2010:
"“Immature is the word you hear most often associated with Whiteside both on and off the court, as there will certainly be a large degree of hand-holding and coddling that whichever team drafts him needs to do in order to help him reach his full potential. There are major questions about his work ethic and intensity level, which is a bit concerning considering how far off he currently is from being able to contribute to an NBA team.”"
Five years later, coaches are telling a much different story. Erik Spoelstra called Whiteside “very coachable” and you can tell from his recent interviews that years of bouncing around the spin cycle of basketball purgatory have really changed the way he approaches the game. He had to fight back tears after a monster 23-point, 16-rebound performance on Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers and he’s constantly noting, with seemingly earnest appreciation, how much he values the opportunity afforded to him in Miami, via Miami Herald: “The Heat gave me a chance and, I mean, it’s only right for me to give 110 percent effort every time.”
In addition to his inspired play on the court, coaches are also raving about his work ethic behind the scenes. On the subject, Coach Spoelstra notes, “The work ethic has been there for six weeks, we have absolutely no complaints about that…He’s a talent, but he already had the talent so he’s matching it up with work ethic.”
Physically, the 265-pound Whiteside has filled out considerably since coming into the league. Upon being drafted, he quickly added a lot of mass to his 227-pound rail thin frame, which led to injuries. Now, he has had the time to grow into his body and as such he’s able to much more effectively hold low post position than his previous stint in the league.
Simplicity: Whiteside deserves a lot of credit for playing within his means. He stays close to the basket on both ends of the court, and for the most part, good things happen because of it. The combination of Bosh’s floor-stretching ability and Wade’s playmaking have afforded Whiteside a number of easy dunks (he’s shooting 71.7 percent! in the month of January) but he’s also shown off a pretty nifty little hook shot in one-on-one situations. So far this season he’s connected on 6-of-10 hook shots and a whopping 72 percent of his baskets have come off of assists.
Opportunity: One of the interesting things that one is always reminded of when players like Whiteside seemingly emerge out of nowhere is that fit and opportunity are almost as important as skill in this league. He couldn’t make the Raptors coming out of Summer League because they already had a 7-foot project in the form of Bebe Nogueira on the roster. He had a brief run with Memphis earlier this season but they’re well-stocked at the center position and he couldn’t stick. The Heat, who have struggled to find a solution at center for years, took a chance on Whiteside, expecting to cut him before his contract became guaranteed, only to see him turn into their own Great White(side) Hope.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whQiYkhW8Fc
Aristotle once said, “The roots education are bitter, but the fruits are sweet.” While it’s too early to say much about how the rest of Whiteside’s season will go, it’s been cool as hell seeing him start to taste the fruits of his toils.