National Basketball Association

Hassan Whiteside Got His Money, What Comes Next?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Can Hassan Whiteside keep pace with his meteoric rise?

Miami Heat Season Preview

Mar 22, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) celebrates with fans following a win against the New Orleans Pelicans in a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Heat defeated the Pelicans 113-99. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

After a tumultuous summer for the Miami Heat, the season can’t come soon enough. While there is still plenty to mine from the losses of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, over the next few days we’ll be looking forward. It’s a new era for the Heat, and this is our 2016-17 Season Preview series.

Amidst all of the NBA free agency drama this summer, there was a calm in the storm.

And somehow that calm was Hassan Whiteside.

Having gained the eye of other organizations such as the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers, the Miami Heat faced competition to re-sign its upstart center. Heat Nation sat waiting in anticipation to see what their big man would do. On the one hand, it was clear Whiteside valued the Heat. After all, they were the first organization to really give him a chance. But then of course, there was the possibility that after being overlooked for so many years, Whiteside would simply go to the highest bidder.

However, within a day of free agency officially starting, Whiteside took to Snapchat to announce his decision. Fortunately for the 27-year-old, it was a no brainer. He would remain in Miami on a four-year, $98 million contract.

If only the rest of the summer went as smoothly for the Heat. Although both the franchise and its fans were thrilled to have Whiteside back, things seemingly spiraled out of control shortly thereafter. The plot to snatch Kevin Durant failed. Dwyane Wade up and left for the Chicago Bulls. Josh Richardson sprained his MCL. And most recently, after Chris Bosh was not cleared for training camp, it now seems his Heat career is over.

As if things were not rough enough in South Beach the year after LeBron James left.

But life went on. And now here we are, weeks away from the 2016-17 regular season. With a 20-player roster, evenly split between old and new faces. Whiteside is proudly among them, ready to lead Miami towards success.

And that is one thing Heat fans should expect from their center, moving forward: leadership.

While it may be hard to imagine Whiteside in a position of authority for the Heat, given his personality and the fact that he’s only been with the team for two years, the reality is exactly as such. Having lost both Wade and Bosh, Whiteside will have to step up alongside veterans Udonis Haslem and Goran Dragic. Both on, and off of the court.

“I just really think it’s really I’m going to get the ball more than last year. That’s what I think. A lot of the moves I already had, but now I get to show ’em a little more.”

Whiteside certainly has the right idea. Despite the probability of a faster-moving offense under Dragic, and increased overall offensive productivity from guys like Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson, Whiteside will be relied upon more than ever, on that side of the floor.

However, besides just getting shots up, Whiteside is looking to become a playmaker.

While this team has always been a tight knit group, the 2016-17 squad is working towards building even better chemistry. This includes the likes of Whiteside and Dragic getting on the same page, and communicating in a more successful manner.

“[This] year is going to be even bigger. More of me and Goran communicating on that basketball level and getting to know each other better… I know it looks like sometimes we’re out there arguing or fussing. But every time I see something, I tell him. And it goes both ways.”

It is no secret that strong communication is built off of trust, something that Whiteside has not necessarily had the best track record with. Having been overlooked by the league for over four years, it was clear when he first arrived just how much pent up resentment he had. Whiteside often lashed out at opponents, his frustration boiling over onto the court. And while there was worry regarding whether or not Whiteside would end up having a behavioral problem, the reality was much simpler than that. Whiteside was just sick and tired of being under-appreciated.

But with time, Whiteside matured. And now as a maximum contract has come into his life, gone are the days of spite and vengeance. Because Whiteside no longer has to prove himself. He has made it.

But that does not mean that the big man will lose his drive to succeed or his passion for the game. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Because for the center, re-signing with Miami represents something much more important than money: it represents consistency. And that is what will now fuel Whiteside to continue reaching his goals.

“I was relieved that I knew where I was going to be. I knew I was going to be in Miami. This will be the first time in my life that I’ve ever been on a team for more than two years. I never played on a team for more than two years – not in college, not in high school, not for the Kings, not in China, not in Lebanon. This is my first time.”

“I said it since Day 1, since I was a 20-year-old rookie, I wanted to be a Hall of Famer. A lot of people laughed at that. Now I’m just still working toward that. I would never give anybody the satisfaction of saying ‘I told you so.’ That’s what my whole life has been like.”

And on the brink of the new season, Whiteside is ready to make an even bigger splash.

“I’m looking to dominate. We’ve got a lot to prove. It took me 27 years to get here… I came here from Day 1 thinking this could be my moment. I want to keep the moments going.”

So far, so good. Although it may only be preseason, Whiteside kicked the new year off with a 20 point, 13 rebound, 3 block game.

Talk about starting things off on the right foot.

Heat Nation may have had to endure one heck of a summer, but there is no question about it; even without a “whale,” even without Wade, even without Bosh, there is still plenty to look forward to this upcoming season.

In just two short years, Whiteside went from a guy no one had heard of, to the Heat’s franchise player. And it is only up from here.