Hassan Whiteside

[jman3134]

He recorded a triple double today with 14 points 14 rebounds and 10 blocks. This freshman really is looking good early in his career- probably the most underrated player in the country. What are his draft prospects if he comes out this year?

[teamjosh04]

Besides Favors and Cousins, no other big man in the country has the kind of NBA potential that Whiteside has. I just got done watching his game last night vs UCF and I came away surprised that he actually has some offensive ability too. He has decent touch, can drive by his man, kill the opposing team on the offensive boards, and has jumper with good form and a high release (although his jumper cant be considered anywhere near a strength right now). At times he had trouble finishing in traffic, but on another play he displayed good concentration to bank a shot off the backboard and in.

Defensively he controlled the game inside. He had 10 blocks and I believe he kept all of them except one in-bounds. He lacks strength and allowed other guys to get deep post position on him but it actually worked out for him because nobody can finish against him when the are within a few feet from the basket. He was exposed a bit on the perimeter though - two times when he was covering his man out their he gambled to try and intercept the pass before it got to his man and missed both times, resulting in his man getting into the paint. Another time a little pump fake nearly brought him out of his shoes. The other two times he was matchup on the perimeter his man tried to take him off the dribble - one time a nice move resulted in a bucket but the other time Whiteside managed to cut him off.

His athleticism is a joy to watch - he hardly even needs to box out to rack up some of the best rebounding numbers in the nation. I love how he catches the ball at its highest point and keeps the ball above his head. On one play he got the board and threw a pass on the money 3/4 of the court. Despite his bad AST/TO ratio, I think he can be a nice passer. He had another bullet pass inside to his fellow big man that also was impressive. It appears that at times he makes lazy passes and also doesnt protect the ball enough inside - thats why his TOs are high.

Overall, he has an excellent combo of athleticism and length that alone makes him an intriguing prospects. I think he would be rated higher than Alabi if he were to declare this year - probably get picked somewhere in the lottery. If he comes back to school for another year (which he probably should, Marshall has a nice coaching staff for him to work with - including former NBA 1st round big man Darren Tillis) he could find himself getting looked at as a top 5 pick.

[RebelSun]

He was very average against UNC (their only major conference opponent so far) - 7/4/3blk and the guy obviously needs a good deal of additional strength/mass. That said, his defensive potential is very intriguing. Another year or two in school will serve him well.

[Piston Pete]

Personally, I think Jerome Jordan and Keith Benson are better prospects if you're looking for a big man in the late 1st/early 2nd....

[jman3134]

^ Why's that?

He has a lot more upside imo. For Benson, it's somewhat comparable because he hasn't been playing basketball long, but still.

[Piston Pete]

IMO, Jordan is better overall (good defensively and offensively) than Whiteside, who really needs to work on his offensive game.....


Benson plays for a small school, but has produced against some really good competition this season:

at Wisconsin - 19 points, 9 boards, 1 block
at Kansas - 20 points, 6 boards, 4 blocks
at Michigan State - 21 points, 11 boards, 1 block
at Syracuse - 10 points, 6 boards, 2 blocks
* ON THE SEASON - 17/10/3

[ponder276]

nbadraft.net have him 1st overall in 2011, and 2nd overall for all prospects on their "big board" (behind only John Wall, ahead of some pretty good players like Evan Turner). I have to admit that I haven't seen him play, but scouting reports say he's very raw offensively, has not the greatest feel for the game, and gets pushed around somewhat in the post, so I have a TONNE of trouble believing that he's really the kind of prospect nbadraft.net claim. Also, he's played almost exclusively garbage competition so far, as he plays for the Marshall Thundering Herd, aside from one game vs. UNC where he didn't really produce.

From youtube you can see that he has great physical tools (tall, long, athletic), and he certainly is recording a ridiculous number of blocks and quite a few rebounds, but prospects in Whiteside's mold (raw offense, somewhat skinny, mostly just a tall.long athlete) rarely turn into stars, so you have to think that nbadraft.net is overrating him quite a bit. That site is trash anyways, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[PerkinsFor3]

is he that much better than varnando and sanders...or is it just length combined with youth?

[teamjosh04]

Length and inexperience (he's actually 20 years old) are a big part of the intrigue. Varnado never had near the type of potential that Whiteside has and right now I think he's a second rounder at best so I'll leave him out of this.

Compared to Sanders, I think that Whiteside has a better frame and more explosiveness (Sanders still might be longer, but its gotta be real close). Whiteside is already the better rebounder and shotblocker - neither has great attributes in other areas defensively, but they both have good potential there. Weight is a big reason why and Whiteside's frame looks like he can put on weight easier. Sanders has been in a college weight program for years and it doesnt look like hes put on much muscle.

The offensive side is where the numbers point to Sanders, but nobody expects Sanders to be a good offensive player in the NBA. All he really has to offer is a hook shot that most college players cant even think about blocking. He can finish with both hands but his footwork and jumpshot are both bad. Ive already given my thoughts to Whiteside offensively and while he might not be a great or even good offensive player, I think his game shows more promise than Sanders there.

Even when Sanders was younger, I never thought he had the potential to be a top pick. Whiteside on the other hand looks like he could be.

WVU vs Marshall tonight!

[Gremz]

I think he's doing very well currently. I heard some crazy block per minutes stat the other day, can't remember what it was though.

I think top 15 would be a stretch still.

Would he really come out in this year's draft though? He seems very high on most 2011 mocks.

[erudite23]

Ford just did an update on him yesterday. He's a guy that has a chance to make a late push, but based on his profile I don't see him being anything more than a Patty O'Bryant type.

[jman3134]

That's because you clearly haven't watched him.

[Sid the Squid]

He had 8 assists in one game...I'd be shocked if Favors picks up 8 more assists this year.

[Esohny]

IMO, Jordan is better overall (good defensively and offensively) than Whiteside, who really needs to work on his offensive game.....

I definitely think Jordan gets overlooked a bit.

[teamjosh04]

Jerome Jordan is better than Whiteside right now...its about potential though and Jordan doesnt have much more room to grow. Whiteside has a HUGE ceiling.

[Sid the Squid]

Hassan Upside could end up going #1 if he keeps improving at this current pace.

[ecuhus1981]

Hassan Upside could end up going #1 IN 2011 if he keeps improving at this current pace.

Fixed.

But anyway, I agree with those that feel Whiteside will go pro this summer. One, he'll be 21 by draft day. Two, his draft stock is so heavily weighted on upside, that if he isn't putting up Dwight Howard-equsue numbers in college next year, people will say, "oh, he's a 22yo under-skilled bigman who seems to have topped out." Just like they're doing with Jerome Jordan now, a guy who has improved from last year to this one, but not enough to satisfy the outlandish expectations of scouts.

I haven't watched Hassan on TV yet this year, but I'm looking for ward to it. For now, all I have to go by are the Youtube clips that I'm sure we've all seen. I do see a lot of Camby in his game, but he doesn't remind me so much of either David Robinson or Kevin Garnett, two other names I've heard linked to Whiteside.

[EddieJonesFan]

I'd say his frame and athleticism is very similar to KG, but his ceiling is more around Camby. I've only watched him in one game, but he seems to prefer being a face up player, perimeter big. That probably has a lot to do with his lack of strength at the moment, but he's not very aggressive around the basket offensively. He does have a nice looking J and he seems to have a frame that can support more bulk if he puts the effort in.

[Esohny]

I'd agree that his age will push him to declare.