Here’s what to expect from the Portland Trail Blazers’ newest frontcourt addition Hassan Whiteside as he looks to redeem himself in 2019-20.
Hassan Whiteside is the new face here in town for the Portland Trail Blazers. Whiteside is a 7-foot tall center that has had a roller coaster career in the NBA. At his best, Hassan has averaged 3.7 blocks per game in a season, and had another season averaging 17 points and 14 rebounds per game.
Whiteside played these two seasons with the Miami Heat, where he was quickly rose to borderline-star status and became one of the best big men in the league. That was until the 2017-18 season, when Hassan starting losing minutes on the court and wasn’t as effective as he was in the previous pair of seasons.
A lot of people thought it was because his game was overhyped and he couldn’t live up to his expectations. I believe that this statement is false. Miami’s roster and play style did not fit Whiteside’s abilities. In fact, their schemes perfectly complement the other up-and-coming Miami center: Bam Adebayo.
It soon became very clear that the Heat wanted Bam to be their future star and wanted to part ways with Whiteside. Now, Hassan has a new team in Portland and feels motivated to prove that he is still an elite center capable of making a big impact on the floor.
In an ironic turn of the tables, Whiteside might now be on the perfect roster for his playstyle. Portland needs a rim protector and an elite rebounder to fill the void Jusuf Nurkic has left following his injury. Whiteside is in a league of his own when it comes to swatting away shots, and Hassan has proven to be one of the league’s best rebounders as well. His rebounding title in 2017 can attest to that fact.
What everybody probably won’t expect, is that Hassan is going to play a massive role in this offensive scheme as well. In a recent interview with Jason Quick of the Athletic, Whiteside was keen to show off his new skill set.
"“They have so much movement, they have so many different plays and reads, I can probably get a triple-double with assists here. You know, I’ve been getting so many assists and dimes … I’m playing more like a point-center here. There’s scrimmages we have where I have six, seven assists like that. I got Dame (Lillard) and CJ (McCollum) — them guys can shoot. All I have to do is give them the ball for an easy assist. It’s so much … it’s so different. You are going to see. You are going to see. Keep this interview.”— Hassan Whiteside"
Whiteside may have a high number of assists for the first time in his career this season. He has always been a great scorer in the paint as well. Hassan is also one of the league’s best pick and roll big men. The picks that Whiteside sets are massive and take a toll on defenders. This will help Dame and CJ tremendously.
A fresh and revitalized Whiteside could soon wreak havoc on the league. We all should expect Hassan Whiteside to have a very productive season, with high numbers that creep toward career bests in blocks, rebounds, and assists.