If you just looked at box scores and didn’t watch all the Trail Blazers games, you would think that Hassan Whiteside was huge every night. This isn’t the case.
Hassan Whiteside has had some strong performances for this Trail Blazers team, but he has struggled all season for consistency. Yes, his performances when he has had six or seven blocks have been huge. But even mixed into these games are glaring deficiencies where he leaves the rim wide open for opposition bigs.
Whiteside has made a difference to this team. His rebounding and rim protection have helped in numerous games, but his inconsistency really hurts this team. This version of the Blazers isn’t deep, so when one player goes missing, it’s very noticeable.
Whiteside is a great shot blocker, there is no debating that. But shot blocking and rim protection aren’t the same thing. Leaving your feet or your assigned part of the painted area to block a shot that you can’t get to, leaves another player open for an uncontested dunk if you aren’t able to get the defensive rebound. This particular style of protecting the basket is a massive risk on a team that lacks size.
At age thirty, Whiteside isn’t going to grow in certain areas. But he is an experienced player in this league and needs to set the tone defensively for this Blazers team. As one of only two defensive play-makers on this team alongside Kent Bazemore, Whiteside’s inconsistencies are glaring when he has bad nights. In this regard, he may not be able to set a good example for Nassir Little and Anfernee Simons.
But as the defensive rebounding problems continue, Whiteside chasing blocks will continue to haunt this team. Carmelo Anthony is the only big bodied power forward on the team as Anthony Tolliver isn’t permanently in the rotation. When Whiteside hunts a guard out of the restricted area rather than sticking with the opposition bigs, he leaves Melo or a smaller forward like Little or Bazemore unprotected. Boxing out or just staying vertical rather than leaving his feet needs to a priority for Whiteside.
Whiteside may need to think about adopting his aggressive block hunting style, as mentioned above though he may not be able to. But this team is undersized, and his inability to defend on the perimeter means that if he struggling around the rim then he has no place on the court.
In the recent matchup with the Utah Jazz, Whiteside only had eight points and six rebounds in his 21 minutes and struggled against Rudy Gobert. Gobert only works at the rim so Whiteside should relish the challenge against one of the few traditional centers left in the league.
But coach Terry Stotts had to play Skal Labissiere instead as Whiteside struggled with pick and roll coverages and screen action in the paint. Whiteside’s screening is also inconsistent, he isn’t a flare screen or pick and pop and threat so making contact on screens is imperative. Why is this a problem for him?
Whiteside has had some good games for this Blazers team, but his time in Rip City may be limited if he can’t find a way to impact the game outside of hunting blocks. Consistency during games and tempering his approach depending on the opposition personnel may not be possible, but if he wants one more decent payday, maybe this is worth considering.
In the meantime a matchup with the Lakers beckons for Whiteside and the Blazers. Coming up against élite bigs in Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard and to a lesser extent JaVale McGee will be a test of Whiteside’s resolve. There are still plenty of games left for him to right the ship!