Heat hopeful for right side of Whiteside

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For all the swirl of the NBA trading deadline and what level of team the Miami Heat will be going forward, an undeniable reality remains when it comes to center Hassan Whiteside: When he is active and engaged, the Heat are a decidedly better team.

Whiteside was exactly that in Tuesday night’s 118-108 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at the start of this five-game trip, adding hope for what might follow.

“We heard his voice talking to us on both ends of the floor, talking to us in the huddle. He was engaged,” teammate Dwyane Wade said. “His presence was known and when he plays that way, when he is that active, we are a good team.”

Whiteside closed the win with 22 points and 11 rebounds. But there were statistics that pointed to an even greater focus, including four steals and 6-of-7 accuracy from the foul line.

The steals were a career high, eclipsing the eight previous times he had recorded three, with his previous season high having been two.

“That’s probably my favorite things right there,” he said, with two blocked shots in Portland, as well. “I told them I just wanted to come out here and just be the anchor for our defense. I’ve been challenging myself every game for that.”

As for the free throws, it was the first time he had made as many with only a single miss this season. It also was only the third time he had converted six or more, the first time since going 9 of 11 from the foul line in the Nov. 7 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

He said a tip from point guard Justise Winslow helped.

“All I could remember was Justise saying, ‘Hold your follow-through,’ ” Whiteside said. “I think the most frustrating thing for me was I could go in the gym and make 88, 85 out of 100 and then I come out here and I’m shooting it totally different.

“I just had to make sure I honed my follow-through, so I went back to my old routine and I trusted it.”

Forward James Johnson said the performance instilled hope of more to follow, with the trip continuing Friday against the Sacramento Kings at Golden1 Center, before the Heat move on for games against Golden State, Denver and Dallas.

“He’s sprinting the floor, he’s patient, he’s setting great screens right now and just really being happy with other people’s success,” Johnson said. “For him to make that change, which he can, is going to make him top three or four best centers in the league.”

That might be a bit extreme, considering the uneven nature of the past two seasons.

But the opening act on this trip certainly inspired hope.

“I just put the pressure on myself,” Whiteside said. “Come out, try to get a great warm up, come out warm in the game and just really concentrate on the details and just watching film, and just coming out here with offensive rebounding and try to make the right plays and try to finish for the team.”

Johnson said it simply is a matter of walking the walk.

“Sometimes teams don’t know what [Whiteside] you’re going to get,” he said. “But he said some things out loud [Tuesday] to all of us and he stuck by his word.”