Portland Trail Blazers: Hassan Whiteside was crucial to 2019/20 playoff run

Hassan Whiteside was a crucial player in the Portland Trail Blazers 2019/20 season.

Hassan Whiteside came to the Portland Trail Blazers via trade in the 2019/20 season as an injury replacement for Jusuf Nurkic. After five seasons with the Miami Heat, where he was one of the league’s leading rebounders and shot blockers, Whiteside came in with a reputation that he was disruptive in the locker room.

That was far from the case in 2019/20 as he fitted seamlessly into the Blazers team culture. He seemed to be a fun teammate, and his consistent production was a big reason this team was able to have the run it did in the NBA bubble when the season returned.

The Blazers only had three NBA quality starters who played the whole regular season. CJ McCollum, Damian Lillard, and Whiteside.

Whiteside’s consistency on the boards as a primary option in the paint was a big reason this team won the games it did. His below stats outline what a great season he had production-wise.

67 games, 61 starts

15.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.4 steals, 2.9 blocks

62.1 percent from the field, 62.2 percent from two, 68.6 percent from the line

64.4 percent true shooting, 62.4 percent effective field goal

The bold represent career highs.

What stuck out for Whiteside was his efficiency around the rim and from the midrange. His 62.1 percent from the field is an excellent mark when you consider that he took 10.5 shots a night.

He didn’t post up a lot, but when he had a mismatch, he got thrown the ball and used a push shot or a hook to get a high percentage look. His 3.9 offensive rebounds a game gave him lots of high percentage looks, while also creating extra possessions for his teammates.

As a defender, Whiteside had a patchy year. His shot-blocking was immense, as he led the league with 2.9 a game. But, leaving his area to chase blocks and his inconsistency when trying to close out or move his feet made things tough on his team.

His defensive rebounding aided his team’s defense, but effort-wise he wasn’t always locked in on that end. Whiteside is one of the best shot blockers in the league, but there is a reason that as the league’s leading shot-blocker got very few All-Defense votes.

He did win the Blazers some games, though with plays on both ends. He deserves credit for some of the defensive plays he made. The win over the Los Angeles Lakers, for example, he made a massive block on LeBron James, which led to a Damian Lillard three that iced the game.

Whiteside was the most consistent big man on the Blazers roster when this team had significant personnel issues. His presence in the paint on both ends gave them a big body and kept them in games when guys like Lillard were injured.

He did struggle for impact in the Bubble off the bench when Nurkic returned. He has always been a starter, and he was unable to adjust.

Because of this, it’s tough to know whether they will decide to bring Whiteside back next year, as he may not want to take a pay cut or come off the bench. Whiteside could be a tremendous second center if he can adjust to a role like that.