Fansided

NBA Award Watch: Fiz is rocking in Memphis

By John Buhler

Nov 14, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Memphis Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale attempts to get a referee
Nov 14, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Memphis Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale attempts to get a referee /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
Nov 21, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Nik Stauskas (11) looses controls of the ball in front of Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Nik Stauskas (11) looses controls of the ball in front of Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive Player of the Year: Hassan Whiteside

There have been a ton of great defensive players this year, but three centers standout: Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons, Dwight Howard of the Atlanta Hawks, and Hassan Whiteside of the Miami Heat.

Howard and the Hawks will make the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Drummond and the Pistons probably will. Whiteside and the Heat won’t come anywhere close to sniffing the 2017 Eastern Conference Playoffs, but he is the front-runner for NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Whiteside is leading the NBA in rebounding with 15.9 boards per game, 10.8 of those are coming on the defensive glass. He is averaging 2.7 blocks per game and 0.9 steals per game. 3.6 turnovers forced per game by a 7-footer is terrifying for any opposing offense going up against Whiteside.

Whiteside is leading the NBA in Defensive Win Shares at 1.1 and has a Defensive Box Plus-Minus of 2.5. The Heat are inept on offense and Whiteside isn’t all that efficient on that end of the floor. That being said, his defensive prowess can’t go unnoticed despite playing on a terrible Heat team.

Home/NBA