NBA Draft Prospects: Hassan Whiteside, Marshall

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Stats: 13.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg (2.7 off), 5.4 bpg, 52.4% FG, 1.9 t/o's

Size:

• Listed: 7'0", 235 lb, 21 yrs old
• Combine: 6'11 1/2" (with shoes), 227 lb, 7'7" (wingspan)

About Him: Hassan Whiteside basically came out of nowhere. He was a 19 year old that was coming off the bench for The Patterson School, a prep school in North Carolina, before committing to Marshall, a school in Conference USA, without a ton of fanfare from the recruiting services. But he set the world on fire in his one season at Marshall, leading the country in blocked shots, notching three triple doubles, and setting the Thundering Herd's all-time record for blocked shots. Not the single-season record, mind you. Whiteside is Marshall's all-time leader in blocks.

As a prospect, Whiteside is one of the more intriguing players in this draft. Whiteside is just a shade under seven feet with shoes one, and when combined with his 7'7" wingspan, he has a standing reach of 9'5", which is quite impressive. In addition to that length, Whiteside is a natural shotblocker coming over from the weak side. He has great timing and shows pretty good discipline when it comes biting on a pump fake.

He also projects well as a rebounder. He's active going to the glass, especially on the offensive end of the floor, and aggressively pursues the ball in the air. He's a good defensive rebounder, and will only get better as he adds strength. Where as most raw big man prospects struggle with natural scoring instincts, Whiteside is actually a good finisher in and around the basket. He has a very soft touch and is capable of knocking down perimeter jumpers, even hitting a couple three pointers this season. His length allows him fantastic extension finishing closer to the basket, and one numerous occasions during the season, Whiteside threw down a dunk he had no business finishing.

While Whiteside's strengths are as obvious as they can get, his weaknesses are as well. Whiteside has a long way to go in terms of his back-to-the-basket game. The majority of his points this season came as a result of catch-and-dunks, putbacks, and mid-range jumpers. That said, with some work, there's no reason that Whiteside can't become a post-up option in the NBA. We already know he has a soft touch, and he gets great extension on jumphooks and turnaround jumpers.

The bigger issue is Whiteside's strength. While he is pushing seven feet, Whiteside checked in at just 227 lb at the combine. He's thin, he has a frail frame that doesn't necessarily look like it can handle too much weight, and he has a long way to go in strengthening his lower body. Defensively, he really struggles at establishing position, getting backed down by big men at the mid-major level. He developed a bad habit of allowing a player to make a move and try to recover by blocking the shot, which was relatively successful at Marshall, but will not work in the NBA. Whiteside, right now, is a much better defender -- and shot blocker -- coming from the weak side than one-on-one. This lack of strength also means that he loses position too easily on the block offensively, which is why Whiteside had a tendency to float around the perimeter.

The biggest red flag are Whiteside's intangibles. He's not a typical freshman in college -- Whiteside just turned 21 years old, which limits his upside. He also comes in with a reputation of having a bad attitude and a poor work ethic. That is not a good thing for someone with the amount of development that Whiteside still has to do. Late in Marshall's season, Whiteside was benched for a multitude of reasons, which seemed to center around his eye on the NBA. Whatever the reason, that's not exactly a good sign for a prospect.

Comparison:

• Best Case Scenario: The obvious comparison is Marcus Camby. If Whiteside can fulfill his potential, he can be one of the best defensive centers in the NBA and possibly make a couple of all-star teams.
  
• Worst Case Scenario: Whiteside might be the most boom-or-bust prospect in this draft. Its just as likely that you never hear Whiteside's name again after Thursday night. I like the comparison of Patrick O'Bryant here.
  

Outlook: Whiteside is either going to make a GM look like a genius, or look like a moron. He has all the potential in the world, but if he doesn't actually put in the work to live up to that potential, he's going to be nothing more than a waste of a first round pick. Eventually, the reward of picking him -- a potential all-star center and all-defensive team member -- will outweigh the risk, but at what point? Its going to be a while before Whiteside can even contribute to an NBA team. Obviously, Whiteside needs to land in the right situation, in an organization that is willing to do a little bit of hand holding and babysitting until Whiteside matures into a professional. Whiteside will probably end up somewhere in the 12-24 range in this draft.

Highlights: