Hassan Whiteside is an incredibly talented big man even though he has had a reputation for being troublesome at times. The Miami Heat big man's desire and effort on the court have been called into question at various points in his career.
One of the reasons for the questions emerged from a draft workout Whiteside had with the Heat. Tom Haberstroh of Bleacher Report writes:
Even before he was drafted, there was something a bit off with Whiteside, something difficult to pin down. After a predraft workout with the Miami Heat, in which Whiteside got so exhausted that he just sat in the middle of the floor and refused to continue conditioning drills led by Keith Askins, the Sacramento Kings selected him 33rd overall in the 2011 NBA draft. Almost immediately, the team sent him to the D-League to play for the Reno Bighorns coached by Eric Musselman, the former Kings head coach.
Whiteside eventually found his way to Miami after this interesting workout. It is worth noting that the Heat took Dexter Pittman with the 32nd pick in that draft — one pick before the Sacramento Kings took Whiteside. It's impossible to blame Miami for passing on Whiteside. A prospect who quits in the middle of a conditioning drill doesn't sound like the type of player who finds himself on a Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra led team.
The enigmatic big man's rise to prominence wasn't easy, but ironically enough, he found his way back to the team who passed on him.
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