Heat center Hassan Whiteside had a good stretch of games this past week, recording double-doubles in each of his three contests and nearly recording a triple-double in Wednesday’s win over the Spurs.
The Heat benefit most when Whiteside is fully engaged, and after last season’s back-and-forth debacle with coach Erik Spoelstra, many were quick to write the 29-year-old off before the 2018/19 season even began.
“I’m very confident, man,” Whiteside said after Wednesday’s win, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “My body feels great. I think a lot of people had written me off. That’s fine. I don’t need anybody’s justification. But I feel like if I do those things for myself, it’ll put me in the conversation of being an All-Star, being defensive player of the year.”
Whiteside worked tirelessly to improve his body and conditioning last summer, and it’s paid off through 12 games. Entering Monday’s contest against Joel Embiid and the 76ers, he’s holding per-game averages of 14 points, 15.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks.
“It’s kind of like he’s changing his mindset to be great,” teammate Bam Adebayo said.
Should Whiteside continue to play solid basketball on both ends, he could be in consideration for his first ever All-Star appearance with the Heat.
There’s more out of Miami today:
- Wayne Ellington could register interest from contenders as a trade candidate, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes in his latest “Ask Ira” mailbag. Ellington has the right to veto any trade and can’t be traded until December 15, should the Heat make a surprising decision to move him.
- The Heat could have missed an opportunity by not trading for Jimmy Butler, Winderman writes in a separate mailbag. Players such as James Johnson and Dion Waiters lost some value due to injuries, making it harder for Miami to strike a deal. The Timberwolves agreed to trade Butler to the 76ers on Saturday in a multi-player transaction.
- Yante Maten has drawn comparisons from his G League coach to former All-Star Paul Millsap, Winderman relays in a separate story. Maten is on a two-way contract with the Heat. He recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds in a win with the team’s G League affiliate on Saturday.
I’d like to see Whiteside in the All-Star. Ellington would be a nice shooter for the sixers from the bench, maybe they can arrange something.
With James Johnson having been out, and that 4 spot having been an issue, I would have liked to see Maten get some minutes during this stretch with the big club.