Hassan Whiteside is back in the Miami Heat’s starting lineup.
The big man made his return to the starting five for the first time since Jan. 20 in the Heat’s Sunday night drubbing of the Orlando Magic. And, per Manny Navvaro of the Miami Herald, the change is expected to be a permanent one:
He certainly didn’t want to come off like he was complaining but before Friday’s loss in Orlando, Heat center Hassan Whiteside admitted it hasn’t been easy for him coming off the bench over the last two months.
As long as he keeps playing at a high level, he probably won’t ever have to do it again.
In Sunday’s regular-season home finale, Whiteside found himself back in the starting lineup for the first time since Jan. 20. He also was at the center of an easy 118-96 victory over the Magic at AmericanAirlines Arena.
“We need a higher level from Hassan and I thought that time is right now,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “This basketball team needs him at his best level, his most aggressive level, his most consistent level, his most reliable level, his most dominant, physical level.
“He responded in the right way. But now the challenge will be to do it again.”
The Heat have been an absolute terror since moving Whiteside to the second unit, ranking inside the top 10 of offensive and defensive efficiency, according to NBA.com. Moving him back into the starting lineup ahead of the playoffs puts that longstanding mojo in jeopardy, but it’s a risk Miami has to take.
If the Heat are going to actually contend for an Eastern Conference title, they need to take their game to another level still. Adding Joe Johnson gives them the luxury of throwing out spacier lineups with Luol Deng or Johnson himself at the 4, which has proved to be a boon for their offense. But rotations shorten during the postseason, and Whiteside provides far more defensive upside than Amar’e Stoudemire, who has seen ample time as the starting 5 in recent months.
With Josh McRoberts rounding into form, at least health-wise, the Heat now need to stagger the minutes of their bigs. One of Stoudemire’s or Whiteside’s minutes need to be cut with McRoberts back in the mix, and the choice there is a no-brainer.
Plus, it appears Whiteside has grown up a lot over the past two months or so. He handled coming off the bench with enthusiasm, even if it wasn’t always genuine. Now is the time for him and the Heat to see what they have in one another before Whiteside reaches free agency in July.
