The division between Miami Heat big man Hassan Whiteside and the organization—specifically coach Erik Spoelstra—became abundantly clear down the stretch of this season.
Spoelstra consistently yanked Whiteside from the court when the Heat's opposition played small ball, and Whiteside was unhappy about it. After the Sixers eliminated the Heat from the postseason, Pat Riley said the two parties needed an intervention.
Whiteside struggled in the postseason, as Philly center Joel Embiid dominated their one-on-one matchup. Riley implied Whiteside wasn't in great physical shape, but Embiid told his rival he had "no excuses."
Now, with Whiteside in offseason mode, he's taken an apparent shot at his organization on Instagram, implying he's "not allowed" to shoot.
Hassan Whiteside wants to clear a few things up about his jumper: "There's a difference between you *can't* shoot and you're *not allowed*" pic.twitter.com/BHq3SSRDQ1
Whiteside is under contract for one more year, but he has a player option and could become a free agent in 2019. Some have speculated the Heat will look to trade him this offseason, but his value seemed to plummet after a rocky 2017-18 season.
This year, he averaged 14.0 points and 11.4 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per game. He did add 1.7 blocks per game and remains a valuable rim protector, but with the league shifting more and more toward agile wings who can switch all over the court, many have questioned how well a traditional center like Whiteside could function in today's game.
If this video is any indication, however, it appears he's working on expanding his game and becoming a more adept outside shooter—though his team is probably hoping he'll work on his attitude as well.
