Dominant Whiteside has yet to get over Draymond's scathing tweet
Since the All-Star break, Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside is averaging 22.0 points, 20.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game. He hasn't been in Miami's starting lineup since Jan. 20, and was suspended for the team's first post All-Star-break game against the Atlanta Hawks because he elbowed Spurs center Boban Marjanovic in the neck, but all in all Whiteside is playing like an unstoppable force of nature.
It's useless to figure out what exactly is the source of Whiteside's temporary focus, but apparently last summer's Twitter beef with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green still lingers in the back of his mind:
The narrative that Whiteside drags down Miami's defense has all but lost its merit. The team allows roughly the same points per 100 possessions whether he's on the court or not, and since Jan. 1 they've actually allowed 8.2 fewer points per 100 possession with him protecting the rim.
Whiteside still leads the league in blocks by a long mile, and Basketball-Reference ranks him first in defensive rating and fifth in defensive win shares. He's ninth in PER and one of the more efficient options in the league.
This summer, the 26-year-old is also headed for a contract that will almost definitely earn him more money than the $15.3 million Golden State will pay Green next year. Whether or not he's worth it is a different story for a different day, but right now the Heat would be lost without their mercurial man in the middle.
Whiteside has the opportunity to show Green just how effective he can be against small-ball lineups when the two sides square off Wednesday night in Miami.
