Closer Look at Hassan Whiteside's D-League Struggles

Filed under: Kings, NBA D-League, Reno Bighorns

Hassan Whiteside was sent by the Sacramento Kings to their NBA D-League affiliate Reno Bighorns to get the much-needed playing time that was unavailable with the Kings, but the 7-foot rookie has also struggled to find time with the Bighorns.

Whiteside, the 33rd overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, has played four games with the Bighorns, but has yet to make an impact in the D-League, averaging just 5.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in just over 12 minutes of action per game.

The most interesting box score line for Whiteside thus far in his D-League career came Friday night against fellow rookie Patrick Patterson and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Before fouling out in his 12:59 of court time, Whiteside stuffed the stat sheet by scoring six points, grabbing six rebounds and adding five blocked shots while Kings teammate DeMarcus Cousins watched courtside. Whiteside's Bighorns did get the victory, though, edging the Rio Grande Valley Vipers by a final score of 119-111 behind a triple-double from Patrick Ewing, Jr. as he'd score 26 points, dish 11 assists and grab 10 rebounds in 41 minutes.

Whiteside's minutes were limited was due to foul trouble, though the rookie showed that he still has a lot to work on despite the obvious athletic gifts that allowed him to turn pro after just one season at Marshall. Eric Musselman, the first-year head coach of the Bighorns and former Kings head coach, told FanHouse earlier this week that Whiteside is healthy and improving every day, however, leading to this in-depth look at the center's most recent game.

Whiteside doesn't start for the Bighorns as their center position is currently locked up by Nick Fazekas, the 34th overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft and the first overall pick of this year's D-League draft. Nevertheless, Whiteside gets plenty of chances at playing time as the first big man off the bench, checking in at 4:30 of the first quarter Friday night.

On Whiteside's first possession of the game, he grabbed an errant Marcus Landry shot, but was fouled on the putback attempt and forced to go to the free-throw line. Whiteside made 59 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe in college, but bricked his first two attempts of this game. Landry by the way, the brother of Kings forward Carl Landry, would finish with a team-high 30 points after hitting on 4-of-7 from beyond the three-point arc.

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/12/11/closer-look-at-hassan-whitesides-d-league-struggles/

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