Hassan Whiteside!
He looks like a legit prospect to me. I have yet to see him play but I saw some youtube video and he seems to move fluidly and seem aware so i could see him really being a solid center in the second year in the NBA. He will need to add weight and strength his first year and get a better feel for things but after that he could be a very solid center maybe even top 10 in a few years.
Explain to me how anything that happens against a young, rebuilding, and currently awful UCF team has any impact on whether a player is an NBA prospect or not? Sheltwon, you wrote "He looks like a legit prospect to me. I have yet to see him play" those two sentences cannot be back-to-back.
i still havent caught this guy but from what i read he's pretty good but he doesntdominate in a weak conference. why is he better then say a guy like ed davis?..if ed davis was playing for marshall would he be doing the same thing against inferior comp and people talking about how good he is?..just curious. does this guy have post moves and good foot workor he just scores from open dunks or simple turnarounds or get around slower big men?
He's not better than Ed Davis. He got thoroughly outplayed by Davis head-to-head. And I don't even think Ed Davis will be all that good. Whiteside is being overhyped severely right now. He's a good prospect, but I wouldn't take him in the top 10. He's got the potential to be a good C, but he's not a better prospect than Cousins, Aldrich, or Greg Monroe.
And another thing, why has there been a topic made about this guy everyday for the last week or so?
Put him up against Cousins. I want to see those two go head to head. That would be an interesting match up. Marshall had better make the tourney, I so want to see Marshall, but have yet to do so. And to BothTeamsPlayedHard, if you actually looked at his stats this season, you would see why he is a prospect, no matter who is the contender, he always comes to play. The rest of Marshall may suck, but he is amazing.
There are probably a lot of posts about him this week, because he just moved into this sites 2010 mock draft. So people are wondering if he will actually declare, or if he deserved to be in the 2010 mock draft, let alone the lottery.
Isnt this his 3rd triple double of the year? All in points, rebounds, and blocks. How many people have done that before?? I know for sure that Ed Davis never has.. For those of you who havent seen him play, he is pretty fluid, has good range and can handle the ball well for a big man..
I remember reading something about Bob Huggins asking why he had never seen this guy play. He was pissed at his scouts because they let this guy slip to Marshall. Turns out, Huggins had watched him twice. Once as a sophomore and once as a Junior.. Both times, Whiteside was a GUARD... This kid grew very fast after he had already developed skill of a PG/SG... He is a different type of player but his draft stock will never be higher than it is now unless he transfers out somewhere..
Jarvis Varnado has gotten triple doubles with points, rebounds and blocks as well. Is he a better prospect than Ed Davis as well? I'm not seeing the point in saying that Ed Davis hasn't done that when that doesn't mean all that much when trying to project someone as an NBA player. Lester Hudson got a quadruple double one time, but does that make him a better prospect than most of the guys he was drafted later than?
Did I ever say anything about him being an NBA prospect?? I said his stock is higher now than it ever will be.. I never said he was better than Ed Davis. All I said is that Davis has never gotten a triple double.. Someone said that Davis would be doing that if he were at a smaller school and I dont see it because Davis doesnt play defense like Whiteside does.. He may have the ability but he doesnt do it. Dont make it sound like I said something that I didnt..
i know ed davis hasnt done it but if davis was playing with marshall and playing there schedule would he be doing the same thing?..its alot easier to get a triple double in marshalls conference then the acc. ive never seen the guy play a full game so i dont kbnow how good or bad he really is. was just wondering. there have been guys in smaller conferences who put up better numbers then better players in big conferences so imwondering what makes this guy different?..i can understand if he's done like steph curry and dominated in conference as well as against the top teams or ranked teams. has this guy done that?..or is he racking up great numbers against inferior players/teams but not dominating when they play better comp?
Overrated...It's an absolute joke that he got an NBA comparison to DAVID ROBINSON....I'm sorry, but I would draft Favors, Cousins, Monroe, Davis and even Aldrich over him.
Btw-I'm not saying he can't become a good player. Just saying that people should lower their expectations. I think he could be a good center if he adds some weight.
dwilljazz8- I saw him play UNC, and he was OUT OF HIS LEAGUE. Carolina might be a bad-to-mediocre team this year, but they do have the ability to simulate NBA length and athleticism with their bigs. Why didn't he come to play in that one? Is it just a coincidence that he "comes to play" when he is a whole head taller than everyone else on the floor? Please. Don't give me that garbage. I look forward to watching him against UTEP, and hope he draws Tulsa and UTEP in the Conference USA tournament. I hope they draw a team with a big man in the NIT. I'm not going to be impressed because he can catch and dunk on dump offs. I'm not going to be impressed by the biggest, longest man on the floor being capable of blocking shots in college. Remember Kenny George from a couple years ago? Do I have to go through the list of awful 7-footers who blocked 4-5 shots a game against bad small colleges and mid-majors? It won't translate to the NBA. They have real big men with muscle, skill, intelligence, and experience. To take this guy in the lottery will hold back a rebuilding team. If someone takes him after him, it is fine because there won't be the pressure to play him. He won't go through the stigma Hasheem Thabeet is facing by having to go to the D-League to get minutes.
yeah id have to see him againts better teams with good big men then houston or uab. i guess ill wait till the utep game or the tourney if they make it. i just wonder why some have him higher then ed davis when it seems there stats are kinda similar but davis goes against much better teams and better comp. when i first heard of him i figured with all the buzz he would be killing but then i see hes the second leading scorer on his team and his numbers arent great for the hype he gets int he conference that hes in. so now i have to watch him play and really see what the fuss is about
The percentage of his points that are off assists (dump offs), put backs, and free throws are troubling for whether someone wants to make something of his stats. Just look at the play by play in the box scores. Look at the highlights from Marshall's website and elsewhere on the internet. I also find it problematic that Greg Monroe has had more assists in one game than Whiteside has had all season (cough cough with a couple to spare cough cough). If he was getting his points as a throw it in post up presence, it would be impossible for him to have so few assists. He is so much bigger than the guy guarding him in most of these games that any team would instinctively double team him. Some people questioned DeMarcus Cousins' ability to pass out of the post. It probably is a fair criticism as he does have some problems with it, but he still gets one or two a game from when he is able to feel the double team coming. This guy isn't getting any.
Like I said, I am going to make the effort to watch bad Conference USA tournament basketball to see this guy a bit more. Maybe after all the time I spent playing and watching basketball, after seeing him play UNC and watching all the highlights of him on the web, that I am just missing it. I don't think so. I think he is a big, long body that would probably be a complete unknown at an ACC, SEC, or Big East school as a freshman. Then again, I also think guys like Tony Woods, Daniel Orton, and Tyler Zeller would be tearing up Rice and UCF.
Whiteside has a lot of potential offensively and defensively. He is very smooth and looks comfortable making advanced moves. He can drill turn-around 18 footers, he can catch-and-shoot, he has a nice hook shot and good finishing ability (despite his weight). I've read somewhere that at the beginning of this season he was measured at 7'1" 235 lbs with 7'7" (!!!) wingspan. He blocks shots at their apex (remarkable to see), and is usually pretty good at keeping the ball in play. He is mobile, athletic and (apparently) has a good frame for putting on weight (I don't really know how to judge this).
The thing that worries me the most is his lack of aggressiveness and energy. You see Eddie Davis, Derrick Favors, Cole Aldrich and even DeMarcus Cousins hustle and chase down loose balls. Those guys show a willingness to work hard, battle for position and hit the deck if needed. If the ball doesn't come directly to Whiteside, he kinda just lets it go. It could be his lack of strength but in high-school John Henson had to guard Renardo Sidney (he was out-weighed by 100 pounds) yet he was able to box him out and give him problems. Whiteside gets outmuscled and pushed around a lot. His passing skills are pretty much non-existant.
Some of you make it sound like Marshall plays in the MEAC or something. Conference USA is a solid league this year and for every UCF or Rice, there's a UTEP or UAB.
Yes, Whiteside struggled against Carolina in the 11th game of his college career. However, this guys is legit. He had 18 pts and 6 rebs against West Virginia, 22 pts 8 rebs and 7 blks against Memphis and 17 pts 9 rebs and 4 blks in his 2nd meeting with Jerome Jordan and Tulsa.
He's 7'0" with a 7'7" wingspan and he has excellent timing. He needs to add weight and get stronger, but he's stated that it's one of his top priorities. The kid is more skilled than I initially thought. He has soft touch on his jumper and he has range out to 18-20 feet. He has a little hook shot in the post, but he will need to get stronger for that move to be effective in the NBA. From what I hear, he has great work ethic and he's coachable. You have to keep in mind that he's only been playing organized basketball for four years.
If he chooses to enter the draft, and I've been told that he's being advised to stay in school, he will be a top 10 pick. Guys with his size and skill set do not come along every year.
Alexis Ajinca also had a freakishly long wing span (wasn't it supposedly 7'9"), alleged ability to step outside to hit shots, and a great shot blocker. And you know what, he is having a heck of a season in Maine. All of one year older than Whiteside, right?
Whiteside is already about 20 pounds heavier than Alexis "Girl Shoulders" Ajinca.
I think Whiteside is a better shotblocker too, although I only saw Ajinca play once before he was drafted. Whiteside leads the nation in blocks and averages more than 8 per 40.
EDIT: Yeah, I think it was measured at 7'8.75". Unreal.
yeah im really gonna have to watch this kid play since im getting a whole bunch of different scouting reports from people on here. the most realistic thing seems to be he is somewhere in the middle of what people are saying from both sides
you seem pretty confident that this kid will be a bust by just looking at his box scores, which you bagged on someone else for doing earlier in the post. I think his hype is huge right now, but i look at it like this. I have seen him play three times, and Whiteside is alot less raw offensively than Hasheem Thabeet with a similar defensive presence. Where did just defense and size put Thabeet in the draft last year? top 5. He might be a bust and so could Whiteside, but i definitely think he is an intriguing prospect to say the least. Someone said that he has only been playing 4 years of basketball, if so he has a great work ethic to get where he is now.
I'm sick of hearing about players who have only played baskeball for 3 or 4 years. That doesn't mean anything to me. It seems like every raw big man in the last 4 years has been new to the game of basketball and 90% of them busted. Sear Sene and Patrick O'Bryant come to mind. "Late Bloomers," all the scouts said. "If he's come this far in such a short amount of time..." Blah.
It should be considered a weakness instead of a strength.
ckelley015, I saw the UNC game, and wondered why anyone was writing this kid was an NBA prospect. I remember clearly thinking that this kid would have never gotten a scholarship to UNC, and that the hype was already ridiculous given how he looked. This was before people started comparing him to hall of famers. I saw a few minutes of the Memphis game, but had other things to do. I clearly saw that he was head and shoulders taller than everyone else on the floor. What does that show a person who wants to see what a player might be on the next level? In what NBA game is he going to be so physically dominant as he has been against the cupcake Marshall schedule?
Josh_Cochran, for every Rice there is a UTEP, but Marshall hasn't played UTEP.
butidonthavemoney, 3 blocks per game in NBDL > 5 blocks per game in CUSA. The NBDL has actual professional big men playing in it.
Marshall v UTEP this week. I know they haven't played them, but my point is that C-USA is not some third world league. NBA scouts like this kid. He may turn out to be a bust, but a lot of us think he can be a solid pro for a long time, a la Marcus Camby. It's obvious that you don't like this kid because you saw him play poorly in one game against North Carolina and you think he plays against weak competition. Fair enough and point taken. I'm telling you that he will be a top 10 pick.
It really doesn't matter where he gets picked. It matters how he plays after he gets picked. I know he'll be a top 10 pick as well, but I don't think he'll be all that good. He's a very similar prospect to Javale McGee, Alexis Ajinca, Serge Ibaka etc, and I think he can be a starter, but I don't think he's be anything more than average as a starting center. And for someone 21 years old, he is very weak and underdeveloped (falls on the ground ALOT more than an NBA big man should) and although he's not completely raw in his skill-set, he's not going to be ready to contribute in his 1st 1 or 2 seasons in the NBA because of how weak he is and because he's still not all that polished offensively. As I said, I'd take Aldrich, Monroe, and Cousins over him if I'm deciding on a center.
Josh_Cochran, I didn't say he will be a bust, but that if he goes in the lottery it will be a bad thing for everyone involved. It doesn't help the team to spend a lottery pick on a guy who won't be able to get on the floor. The player isn't better off being in the league before he is prepared. He isn't physically ready, and that cannot be denied. He is a waif. From an experience standpoint, you cannot deny that he doesn't have much experience playing against bigger more athletic competition in the way someone in the Big East or ACC would. Nobody is saying he has a polished skill set either. Those are three major marks against him, and in this draft with some of the other bigs out there knocks him back quite a bit.
I think Cole Aldrich has comparable length, superior strength, more polish offensively, and significantly more experience despite being all of one year older than Whiteside. I think Greg Monroe is a vastly superior prospect who has shown his abilities for two years in the Big East (which has been the best or second best league in the two years he has been at Georgetown). Cousins has some growing up to do, but he has also been a physically dominant inside. His body resembles that of most NBA centers right now. He has showed off an array of skills that most 19-year old big men cannot. Derrick Favors has taken his lumps in the ACC, but he is still physically stronger and gotten more experience against better competition. He will need time to hone his skills, but he is strong enough and athletic enough so that he will be able to have a role as a rookie without it being handed to him. If a team takes Whiteside before any one of those four, I think it will be a huge mistake. In as far as NBA scouts liking him, I seem to remember people talking about how much they liked DeAndre Jordan too. How long did this site have him in the top ten before slipping into the second round? A lot of things change between February and June.
He had a triple double today 14pts 11rebs 13blks in a triple over time win against UCF. This guy is a beast and has alot of potential. I think he could be the best big man in the draft depending on who drafts him.