This article is one in a series that uses the FantasyLabs Tools to build daily fantasy scouting reports for the NBA’s brightest stars.
Hassan Whiteside‘s rise to NBA stardom wasn’t the typical path of a max player. After two forgettable seasons in Sacramento, he spent time in the D-League and overseas before eventually being given a chance by Pat Riley and the Miami Heat. Whiteside has averaged a double-double ever since.
Whiteside currently leads the NBA with an average of 14.1 rebounds per game, and his 16.8 points per game are a career high. He’s continued to get better even after signing a max contract last summer, proving to be instrumental to the Heat’s 13-game win streak this season. Whiteside is averaging a career-high 41.18 DraftKings points per game this year.
Statistical Breakdown
Whiteside’s scoring and rebounding production has increased during each of the past three seasons. The absence of Dwyane Wade has opened up a featured role in the offense for Whiteside, as he’s currently averaging a career-high 12.7 field goal attempts per game. The one negative for Whiteside this season has been his reduced number of blocked shots. After averaging a league-high 3.7 blocks per game last season, he’s averaged a three-year low 2.1 blocks per game this year. Due to his nonexistent assist totals, the bulk of Whiteside’s production has come from putting up points and pounding the glass.
Trends
Home/Away
Whiteside has routinely performed better in Miami than he has on the road during the past three seasons:
Per our Trends tool, he’s posted a +3.7 Plus/Minus with 61 percent Consistency and has averaged 38.58 DK points at home since 2014. His road performance hasn’t been terrible, but Whiteside has clearly performed better at home.
This trend hasn’t changed so far this season. In fact, it’s become more robust:
Whiteside has been inconsistent away from American Airlines Arena this season, but he’s continued to dominate in Miami. His ownership has been nearly twice as high at home, but it’s warranted. Whiteside has surpassed his implied total during 18 of his 26 home games, compared to just 11 of his 26 road games.
Favorite/Dog
In addition to thriving at home, Whiteside has typically played better as a Vegas favorite over the past three seasons:
He hasn’t played poorly as an underdog, but he’s been on his A game as a favorite. As is the case with his home/road split, this split has become more extreme this season:
The Heat aren’t favored as often as they used to be, but Whiteside has continued to play much better during his games as a favorite.
Naturally, Whiteside has averaged a +3.42 Plus/Minus with 60.9 percent Consistency as a home favorite over the past three seasons. The splits for Whiteside’s production at home and as a favorite should be utilized, but it won’t catch anyone by surprise.
Rather, look to take advantage of games in which the Heat are home underdogs, as Whiteside has posted a +4.4 Plus/Minus with 66 percent Consistency and averaged 43.22 DK points during his 15 such occasions this season. He’s also accomplished this with an average ownership of 16.3 percent, a mark that is far lower than what we’ve seen from him at home and/or as a favorite.
Versus Poor/Elite Opponents
Whiteside has proven capable of holding his own against the league’s elite opponents over the past three seasons:
Still, this success isn’t comparable to how he’s performed against some of the league’s bottom dwellers:
Whiteside has been dominant against opponents with a win percentage of 40 or worse over the past three seasons. Unsurprisingly, his ownership reflects this fact. It’s clear that Whiteside has played better against worse opponents, but the split isn’t severe enough to warrant fading Whiteside due to his opponent’s record on any given night.
Back-to-Backs
We’ve established that Whiteside is a better player at home than he is on the road, and this is reflected in his performance during back-to-backs:
Whiteside has struggled on the back end of his 24 road back-to-backs, but he’s thrived in his small sample of back-to-back home games. The seven-game sample is far from conclusive, but this differential between Whiteside’s 2A and 2H splits is fairly standard.
Don’t automatically fade Whiteside if he’s on a back-to-back. If he’s at home, he actually might be rosterable at an ownership discount.
Salary Sweet Spot
The Heat’s roller coaster season has been reflected in Whiteside’s DK salary. He’s reached a low of $7,300 and a high of $9,600 through 57 games. Whiteside has been priced between $7,500 and $8,500 since the new year and he’s outscored over his seasonal average in six of his last eight games. His average of 41.18 DK points per game suggests that his salary should be $9,000, so he’s been underpriced recently.
Whiteside’s salary hasn’t been quite as volatile on FanDuel this season. He’s reached a low of $8,200 and a high of $9,600, but he hasn’t been below $8,700 since mid-January. Whiteside’s average of 38.4 FD points per game suggests that his salary should be $9,300, so he’s been a little underpriced on FD as well during recent weeks.
On/Off
Whiteside’s presence on the court hasn’t led to a ton of value for his teammates:
Josh Richardson has thrived with Whiteside on the court this season, although the other top DK Plus/Minus differentials are for players who have averaged fewer than 20 minutes per game this season.
We see a greater impact on his teammates when Whiteside is off the court:
Justise Winslow won’t be returning this season, but regulars Dion Waiters and Goran Dragic have thrived without Whiteside on the court. The Heat don’t have a ton of scoring options, and backup centers Udonis Haslem and Willie Reed have combined for just 5.4 field goal attempts per game this season. Thus, the team’s backcourt and wings have upped their production when Whiteside has been out this season.
Whiteside’s production hasn’t been majorly impacted when Dragic, Waiters, or anyone else has been in or out of the lineup. Per NBA.com, over 80 percent of Whiteside’s shots have come within 10 feet of the basket this season. His production has proven to be fairly even no matter who surrounds him on the court, as his ability to get buckets is more due to his superior play in the heart of the opposing defense than the ability of his guards to generate open looks for him.
Stacking the Heat
Below is the average production for the Heat during Whiteside’s 10 best fantasy performances of the past two seasons, first on FanDuel and then on DraftKings.
FanDuel
DraftKings
All five of the Heat’s primary players have thrived during Whiteside’s best games, and they should all be considered realistic stacking partners with him. Waiters and Dragic are the two most obvious candidates, as their integral roles in the Heat’s offense outweigh those of Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson.
Conclusion
Whiteside’s on-court value is apparent. Standing over seven feet tall and weighing 265-plus pounds, Whiteside makes his living in the paint and has been productive regardless of what teammates surround him on the court. He’s been especially lethal at home, as a favorite, and against poor opponents.
Look to utilize Whiteside while his salary remains below $9,000 on both DK and FD.
