Hassan Whiteside – NBL – still an unrestricted free agent – 2022
Hassan Whiteside – An Introduction
Hassan Niam Whiteside was born on the 13th of June, 1989 to Hasson Arbubakrr and Debbie Whiteside He is an American professional basketball player. He last played for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played basketball in college for the Marshall Thundering Herd. Later he got selected by the Sacramento Kings in the NBA draft in 2010.
He was selected as a second-round pick but quickly earned his spot in the NBA. His journey in this NBA league is quite remarkable.
He was originally drafted as No. 33 by the Sacramento Kings in 2010. Whiteside spent two seasons in Sacramento and then he was waived. He then joined Amchit Club in 2013 in Lebanon, followed by going to China where he joined the Sichuan Blue Whales.
Hassan Whiteside got another chance in the NBA until 2014 when he finally signed with the Miami Heat to get his way back. Whiteside made a name for himself in Miami emerging as a double-double threat. He evolved to be a real factor as a shot-blocker defensively.
He led the league in rebounding becoming a valuable center that made his presence felt.
Since the 2018-19 season, Whiteside has been a part of the teams like Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and most recently, the Utah Jazz last season.
Whiteside, who is 33 now, finds himself as a veteran still available in free agency and looking for another chance to prove himself. His production seemed to have decreased through the years, but Whiteside can prove to be a terrific backup center in the NBA because of his rebounding and shot-blocking abilities.
With the Jazz last season, Whiteside backed up Rudy Gobert and averaged 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 65 games with 17.9 minutes per game.
Hassan: Can be an asset for the Clippers
The Clippers are in need of a backup center after they traded Isaiah Hartenstein to the New York Knicks. Whiteside has the ability to assist the LA Clippers in a number of ways, as there are multiple ingredients that are needed to build a championship-level roster.
He not only brings a lifetime of experience but also brings elite rim protection and quality of rebounding. Whiteside might emerge to be of great help in the development of Moussa Diabate. Last season, Whiteside displayed a phenomenal performance where he averaged 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game shooting 65.2% from the field in only 17.9 minutes per game. These numbers are phenomenal, especially at the age of Whiteside which is 32 years.
He is one of the best defensive centers in the National Basketball Association. Last season, he managed to score a defensive rating of 109.0 with a block percentage of 71.5. Additionally, Whiteside averaged 8.3 contested shots in each game with a per 36 of 3.2 blocks in each game. This shows how great Whiteside is and how helpful he can be on the defensive end.
Not only did Whiteside prove to be a great rim protector, but he is also an outstanding rebounder. Last season, Whiteside averaged 1.4 “box outs” in each game with a “player rebound when boxing out” percentage of 75.9%. Furthermore, Whiteside his “offensive box out” average percentage is 64.5.
Having a player like Whiteside who is capable of rebounding and protecting the rim at a high level could terrorize opposing teams.