Whiteside's 'amazing' renaissance on hold due to ankle sprain
On the bright side, there's already strong evidence to suggest a game off due to an ankle sprain can't slow down the Hassan Whiteside machine.
The league's biggest breakout star missed two games in mid-January due to an ankle sprain and hasn't missed a beat since returning, picking up his momentum right where it left off. He'll have to do so again, as the Miami Heat center will not play Friday with another ankle sprain.
"We're going to be smart about it," head coach Erik Spoelstra said after the team's shootaround session.
While the Heat haven't been very successful with their found money, Whiteside has been producing at an historic rate since resurfacing after two years out of the league.
| WHITE(SIDE) HOT HEAT | VALUE | 2014-15 RANK | ALL-TIME RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pts/36 | 18.4 | 54 | N/A |
| Rbs/36 | 15.6 | 2 | 73 |
| Blk/36 | 4.6 | 1 | 25 |
| Rb% | 26.5% | 1 | 4 |
| Blk% | 11.1% | 1 | 1 |
| PER | 28.9 | 2 | 34 |
"It's amazing," Whiteside told USA TODAY Sports in an excellent, must-read look at his journey from potential first-round pick to complete afterthought and back to serious NBA prospect.
"It still feels kind of surreal to me, you know? I don't know when it's going to really feel normal. But on the court, it feels normal. All the other stuff doesn't - coming in with the nice hotels and stuff. It's just great man. It's great."
The Heat, who have enjoyed Whiteside's 9.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks on 64.9 percent shooting, would surely agree, and they were smart enough to lock Whiteside down for an obscenely discounted $981,348 salary for next season.
This story has serious wheels, and it's not going to be halted by Whiteside needing a quick respite.