Is Hassan Whiteside a similar prospect to Thabeet?

[Sid the Squid]

Whitside was the only projected top10 pick that dissapointed me yesterday. I'm sliding him down to 8,9 or 10 on my BIG BOARD.

Still I think he would be a nice fit on a bad team who has time to develop him. Somebody like the Wolves who need a more athletic shot-blocking type.

[Casperkid23]

I don't know if you guys will appreciate this or not, but figured I'd post it here in case people want an in-depth view on a player you may or may not have seen and want information.

Hassan Whiteside - Fr. PF/C, Marshall
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/pr ... erId=46133

Per36min numbers against Quality Opponents (10 games):
16.8pts, 9.9rebs, 0.0asts, 0.6stls, 5.4blks (1st out of 45 prospects), 3.5PFs, 2.3TOs
44.6 FG%, 33.3 3pt% (1/3), 68.1 FT%, .42 FTA/FGA



Standing 6’11 and weighing somewhere around 230 pounds with a mammoth wingspan, Whiteside is tailor-made for playing weakside defense and altering shots around the rim. He went in and smashed the old C-USA single-season blocks record of 143 blocks with 173 blocks of his own. Not only that, but he’s set to become the first freshman to lead the nation in blocks since Travis Williams in 1998-99, an extremely impressive feat.

As a player who will likely be asked to play Center for the majority of his minutes at the next level, Whiteside looks fluid when running the floor and has excellent lateral foot speed. He is a superb athlete for his size, even when taking into account that he’s not an explosive leaper. However, there is a flaw in his physical makeup: he is very weak. He is severely lacking lower body strength, and it is one of the main causes of his problems on both sides of the floor. While he has the frame to add weight, and was rumored to have gained 15-25 pounds last summer, I am skeptical that he will ever reach that 250-260 mark. Does he have to? Not really, but he’ll have to learn how to play against bigger Centers as a similar built player, Marcus Camby, did.

Defensively, he’s a game changer in the lane when it comes to guards or wings penetrating. Because of his lateral quickness, he can quickly get into position and use his pterodactyl-arms to block or alter many of the shot attempts in the lane. It’s scary how effective he is considering his timing isn’t at an elite level. The lateral quickness also allows him to be an effective pick and roll defender. He can easily help hedge screens and make it a seamless switch. He’s truly an elite prospect when it comes to help defense.

When it comes to man defense, it’s a different story. He simply gets overpowered in the post because of his lack of lower body strength and not knowing how to guard punishing post players. On occasion, he can make up for that due to his insane wingspan and quick feet, allowing him to get an angle to block/alter the shot even though he surrendered position. However, more often he’ll get bullied and looks like a boy guarding a man when players go straight at him. This sometimes causes him to pick up cheap fouls, which could be a concern when he goes up against large post players regularly.

On the boards, Whiteside also needs work, as his current style isn’t going to translate favorably to the NBA level against the bigger, stronger, more athletic competition. Right now he gets most of the boards he collects purely off length and athleticism… there is very little fundamental influence. It’s rare where I see him block out as Ed Davis or Derrick Favors do - two guys who could easily do the same thing and rely on athleticism to grab the boards in college games, but don’t because it’s a bad habit. However, the fact that he does hustle for rebounds on occasion is a good sign and makes me think he’s not a lost cause ala Ryan Hollins.

On offense, it’s a mixed bag. When it comes to scoring, he loves taking jumpers, and he’s not afraid to take them 16-20 feet out. He possesses a very smooth jumper for a guy that big, and it’s nearly unblockable even though it’s kind of a slow release. However, the downside is that he settles for jumpers way too often and frequently takes them early in the shot clock. He uses his jumper to set up the occasional drive where he shows off an adequate handle, and because he is usually going to be more athletic than his counterpart, this is an effective part of his game. This could really make him a dangerous pick-and-roll player.

In the post, as he’s basically incapable of being a physical player, so he snakes around players and has to use his adequate handle and length to put up shots which may easily be blocked at the NBA level. This adversely affects his efficiency, as he is not drawing contact and getting to the line as often as he needs to. Often he’ll be seen throwing up awkward flips and really just displaying how raw he is as a post player - though he shows shockingly good touch around the rim. However, because of his athleticism and length, he is able to finish with authority around the rim when he’s able to get position.

To sum up his offensive skills, there are times where he looks brilliant and unstoppable because of his physical gifts and surprising jumper. However, there are times where he basically looks to have zero BBIQ. This can be seen in his shot selection, where he frequently takes shots early in the shot clock; in his post game, where he shows immature post moves and forces up tough, low % shots; in the way he spaces the floor, where he commonly bunches up and allows one man to cover two or doesn’t get himself in good position to receive the ball. I think the most alarming thing, however, is how incapable he is to move the ball when he receives it. Zero assists in 10 quality opponent games is inexcusable. Nine assists in 851 minutes is despicable. When he attempts to pass, it’s usually off-target and/or too hard. He just doesn’t have the feel for a team game on the offensive side of the ball, and it’s very alarming when attempting to project him.

Overall, Whiteside is basically the epitome of a boom or bust player. He could be elite defensively and very useful offensively if he learns to hone his skills and add strength. Right now, however, he’s a pretty big negative on the offensive end when he is not very efficient (ranks last in Center PPP with a 0.88 and 0.42 FTA/FGA) and isn’t able to move the ball or correctly space the floor; while also susceptible to being posted up and abused defensively. I have him at a tentative 8th right now, but certain teams will be more willing to take a chance on this project hoping to strike gold and get a new-age Camby.

[Jazzfan12]

That sounds pretty terrible.

[EddieJonesFan]

Not an explosive leaper? Huh?

[Casperkid23]

Not an explosive leaper? Huh?

He's not. That's not to say he's Yao Ming or Mehmet Okur, but he's not Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, or a healthy Tyson Chandler.

[EddieJonesFan]

Well I'm not a pro scout or anything, but he seems to get off the ground very quick to me.

[Jazzfan12]

Draftexpress dropped him from 10 to 18.

[EddieJonesFan]

Draftexpress dropped him from 10 to 18.

That's an overreaction. The Tulsa game didn't really expose any weaknesses of Whiteside that weren't already common knowledge.

[Jazzfan12]

Whiteside ineligible for another year of college basketball apparently:


http://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/10583068831


Draftexpress also hinting at massive attitude/off-court issues for Whiteside:


http://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/10582435959


Will be surprised if he's picked in the top 20.

[ThreeYearPlan]

Whiteside will never be as good as Thabeet

[Village Idiot]

Whiteside will never be as good as Thabeet

Perhaps Thabeet will never be as bad as Whiteside

[Jazzfan12]

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x ... in-the-CIT

Marshall came down with a dose of the NIT flu.

The 24-hour kind?

Nope, the 20-minute kind.

For the entire first half of the Herd’s eventual 90-88 win over Western Carolina in first-round action of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament before 5,003 fans at the Henderson Center, Marshall played with no energy, no emotion, no intensity and lots of lethargy.

“Yeah, it was the NIT flu,” said Herd point guard Damier Pitts.

And I know just where the Herd caught it.

From Hassan Whiteside.

Sounds like a guy who's going to realize his potential.


Also, he had three rebounds in Marshall's season ending loss to Appalachian State.

[carrottop12]

Anyone else see him turning into JaVale McGee? Highly touted before the draft, then a couple of warnings signs go up and he drops to the mid to late teens and ends up being an average NBA nobody?

[Jazzfan12]

He's pretty much exactly the same as McGee imo.

[9abovetherim]

He's pretty much exactly the same as McGee imo.

This.

[Jazzfan12]

My Guess: Javale McGee's claim to fame this draft process was that he was the supposed talented big man that got so dominated by other prospects in workouts that he helped them improve their stock. Alexis Ajinca should give a bit of his guaranteed contract to McGee. Yes, McGee is tall and athletic and has a nice shot but he also doesn't know how to play the game of basketball (particularly on the defensive end). Jason Thompson might be the worst pick but McGee is a frontrunner for the worst player taken in first rounders. While I usually think kids should take advantage of their draft stock and come out early, McGee is the kind of kid who simply needs to play the game more and that's not going to happen for him in the NBA (and I just don't believe the D-league actually helps people improve).





DX says he has a strong work ethic though so that's definitely one difference between him and Whiteside.

[hard49]

McGee looks like he is slowly turning into a decent NBA big. He is just so bouncy around the rim. Scouting report was right though. The Wizards need a season just developing that frontline with 35+ minutes for 82 games.

[Slartibartfast]

He's pretty much exactly the same as McGee imo.

They're similar in that their offensive potential is more flash than substance, but Hassan looks to be much better rebounder and shotblocker than McGee.

He has a bit of Sean Williams flame-out potential (and he doesn't have the sheer size of Thabeet), but I'd rate him a better prospect than McGee overall.

Great risk/reward player at 15-20, acceptable value for 10-15, a reach in the top 10.

[MarJJMar]

He looks like Marcus Camby to me.

[spoonhoops]

Marcus Camby? lol

I agree Whiteside is definitely talented, but until he gets really motivated, I don't expect him to do much in the NBA. Expect him to spend some time in the D-league.