It seems like Hassan Whiteside's role on the offensive end has diminished. He was limited to just five points in their Game 3 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Not only that, he merely played 13 minutes due to foul trouble. But according to Whiteside himself, his seemingly diminished role is a coaching decision. Head coach Erik Spoelstra wants the big man to just set picks.
As reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press:
Whiteside: “Coach wants me to just be in a corner and set picks.”
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) April 20, 2018
He added that the game plan for the Heat is just different in the playoffs. He knows that he won't be involved in post-ups or dribble handoffs as before. Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Whiteside said:
“I feel like our offense is a lot different. I'm not as involved in as many dribble handoffs as I was and postups as I was in the regular season. That's what coach wants. Coach wants me to just be in the corner and set picks. That's what he wants. I've just got to trust it.”
From Whiteside's words, it seems that he has a whole lot of trust in the system. His rival Joel Embiid is getting more playing time and maybe even winning the matchup. Despite the foul trouble in Game 3, he seems positive that he can rise back and work better in the next few games.
His teammate Goran Dragic believes that the shot-blocker will do just fine:
“Hassan will be OK,” Goran Dragic said. “He needs to work through it. Everyone goes through tough parts of the season. I went through it two years ago. The only message I have for Hassan: keep your head up, work hard and sooner or later the game will come to you.”
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