"You don’t know I got this jumper? There’s a difference between you can’t shoot and you’re not allowed."
That's Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside -- last seen putting up two points in 10 minutes against Joel Embiid and the 76ers in the playoffs -- talking about his three-point shot in an Instagram video. I said "shot" and not "jump shot" because he doesn't leave the ground on his threes. I'm sure your initial reaction to this video is the same one you had when you saw Andre Drummond's recent "It's gonna be scary" IG video of him taking step-back threes: "STOP IT! WORK ON YOUR POST MOVES AND FREE THROWS INSTEAD!"
What you probably don't know about Whiteside is he's never missed a three in his six-year NBA career. Seriously, he's shooting 100% from downtown! He's also only taken two. And to some, that's two too many for the man who averaged a career-best 17 points and 14 boards a game back in 2016-17. And to some, his latest IG video and possible dig at the organization is one too many for the man who has had a long string of complaints this season.
That some also wants to see Whiteside take his talents out of South Beach. But, they know that's going to be a difficult move because he's going to make $24.4 million next season and $27.1 the season after that. Now that's a scary sight for some teams.
I'm still a fan of the traditional big man and a believer that those dinosaurs can still provide as much value to a team as versatile players but a frustrated Tyrannosaurus Rex trying to be a Unicorn probably isn't going to be on the want-list of many GMs this summer. So, hopefully his love for the three is just a summer fling and he comes back to Heat, dedicated, and plays like that guy who said, "I'm just trying to get my 2K rating up" after putting up 14 points, 13 rebounds and a franchise-high 12 blocks in just 24 minutes.
WHITESIDE SHOOTING THREES