The NBA preseason is a time for hope. Players are healthy and in great shape (well, except for James Johnson). Offseason additions are settling in with their new teams and the blank slate of a new season offers endless possibilities. New Portland Trail Blazers center Hassan Whiteside is taking that definition to the extreme.
During a recent interview ahead of training camp, Whiteside made the boldest prediction you’re likely to see from either a player or media. According to Whiteside, he’s going to be a passing machine this season — so much so that he’s liable to record a triple-double with assists. Via The Athletic:
“I think I’m going to blossom a lot here,” Whiteside said. “They have so much movement, they have so many different plays and reads, I can probably get a triple-double with assists here. You know, I’ve been getting so many assists and dimes … I’m playing more like a point-center here.”
Whiteside has 203 assists in 343 career games, good for an average of 0.6 per game, but he apparently wasn’t joking.
“There’s scrimmages we have where I have six, seven assists like that,” Whiteside said, matter-of-factly. “I got Dame (Lillard) and CJ (McCollum) — them guys can shoot. All I have to do is give them the ball for an easy assist. It’s so much … it’s so different. You are going to see. You are going to see. Keep this interview.”
In Whiteside’s defense, there’s something to be said about the Portland’s offensive weapons compared to Miami. The Trail Blazers finished ninth in the league in 3-point shooting last season, while the Heat were 21st. When it comes to mid-range shooting, the Trail Blazers were second, while the Heat ranked dead last. The Trail Blazers have Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, and the Heat had Goran Dragic and Josh Richardson. Dribble handoffs or simple pass out to those players are more likely to generate assists than they were in Miami.
All that being said, it would truly be shocking if Whiteside recorded a triple-double with assists this season, or at any point in his career. His career-high for assists is four, and twice last season he at least five games without registering a single assist.
It’s great that Whiteside is excited about joining the Trail Blazers, but we will definitely have to keep this interview bookmarked for the end of the season.
