Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
More minutes needed
Whiteside will be expected to spend more time on floor
Heat center Hassan Whiteside has grown accustomed to a bigger bank account and raised expectations because of his higher profile.
The next adjustment in a season of change for him is being able to play more minutes. With the Heat set to open the season tonight at the Orlando Magic, expect to see Whiteside on the court more often throughout the year.
“He’s capable of playing 34, 36 minutes easy, as long as he’s not in foul trouble,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Last season, Whiteside averaged 29 minutes, but that should increase with his new role. In 2015-16 he topped the 35-minute mark in 11 games, including twice in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Toronto Raptors.
“That’d be awesome, if I can play 34, 36 minutes . ... ,” Whiteside said. “It’ll be great. I’m going to go out there and compete as hard as I can and really take that role on and that challenge on.”
The concern is whether Whiteside can avoid foul trouble. He fouled out three times last season, including the postseason. The Heat were 2-1 in those games, but added minutes could lead to more foul opportunities. Whiteside averaged one foul per 10 minutes last year.
“Of course, I've got to stay out of foul trouble,” Whiteside said, adding that he didn’t think it would be a problem.
The willingness to chase blocked shots could ultimately determine if he can continue to play high minutes. He is coming off a season of averaging a leagueleading 3.7 blocks. Although the Heat want Whiteside on the court more often, they don’t want it to affect his defensive aggression.
“I don’t want him to pace, and I don’t want his pursuits to be optional,” Spoelstra said. “If that means he can only play 28 minutes a game, so be it. I want him to be dominant defensively, impacting everything at the rim, rebounding, making multiple efforts, the things not very many guys are capable of — I want him having that impact. And then we’ll figure out how many minutes he can play at that impact. But I don’t want him pacing.”
Although Whiteside’s minutes are poised to increase, Spoelstra said he wants to limit guard Goran Dragic’s playing time, at least for now. Dragic is the only point guard on the roster, meaning the decision to play him in the “low 30s” is more about preservation.
“He goes really hard,” Spoelstra said. “I don’t want the season to wear him out. I want him to keep that intensity and the pace at which he plays, and keep him fresh as he’s doing it.”
Dragic said he will accept whatever Spoelstra decides but made it clear he wants to play as much as possible. He’s averaged 33.8 minutes in 98 games with the Heat.
“We’ll see. I want to play a lot,” Dragic said. “I’m in good shape. I can run all day. [Spoelstra] knows that. Of course, it’s a coaching decision but we’ll see how the game is going to go. In the end, I like to play a lot of minutes. I like to run.”
The early thoughts are hardly indicative of how the season will play out. Spoelstra said he is still in the experimental stage, even with the rotation.
“Is it going to change every game? I don’t expect that, and I don’t want that,” Spoelstra said. “I’m open to what will happen with this team. I don’t have all the answers right now, and that’s OK. We’re going to be a team that evolves and gets better each month. How we look [Wednesday] night, we’ll hopefully look different in January and February and March.”