Soaring Hassan Whiteside Listed as Doubtful Against Spurs
While Dwyane Wade is set to miss his fifth straight game tonight against the Spurs due to a hamstring injury, the Miami Heat could also be without emerging young center Hassan Whiteside.
Whiteside is dealing with a sprained ankle and was officially listed as doubtful by the team at shootaround. So the Heat could be without two major chunks of their core in a rematch against the team that bested them in last year's NBA Finals.
Whiteside is surging of late after a wildly productive month of January, averaging 17.4 points and 15.8 rebounds on 62-percent shooting over his last five games. There's no questioning his impact this season, with Miami eight points better per 100 possessions with Whiteside on the court, per Basketball Reference. The national media is finally starting to recognize the seemingly ridiculous hype surrounding the seven-footer is becoming more real with every game. Grantland's Zach Lowe likens Whiteside's impact to Godzilla:
"And Whiteside? The dude is just rampaging over the league like Godzilla. He has rebounded 26.5 percent of all missed shots while on the floor, a mark that would rank as the fourth-greatest ever. He has a shockingly soft touch on putbacks, jumpers, and hooks.
He has blocked 11 percent of opponent shots while on the floor, a mark that would break the NBA record."
With Miami holding just a half-game lead over Brooklyn for the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot, they'll need as much Whiteside, and Wade, as possible moving forward. The team has three games remaining until a much-needed nine nights off during the NBA All-Star break.
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