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Following a couple of unremarkable seasons with the Sacramento Kings, and stints playing in the D-League and China, Hassan Whiteside is beginning to capture the attention of NBA fans after stringing together some impressive performances for the Miami Heat. After stepping into a more prominent role, Whiteside is averaging 12.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg, and 4 bpg for the month of January. He also registered a triple double with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 blocks in the Heat’s 96-84 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
Whiteside’s recent play certainly has the makings of feel-good story, the tale of a player finally finding his place in the big time and turning heads with some unexpected performances. His exploits certainly haven’t gone unnoticed at 2K Sports, as the latest roster update for NBA 2K15 has seen his overall jump a whopping 18 points, from 59 to 77.
As it stands, that’s one of the biggest boosts since the “Linsanity” craze saw Jeremy Lin’s overall jump from 56 to 69 back in NBA 2K12. And in some ways, Whiteside’s recent run is a little reminiscent of Lin’s emergence three years ago, from grabbing the attention of basketball fans to its impact on basketball video games.
Personally, I enjoy stories like this. As much as I enjoy seeing the stars of the NBA do their thing, and all the marquee match-ups, I like seeing players surprise us and find their place in the league despite initial struggles to latch on and earn minutes. It’s something to behold when a superstar has a game for the ages, or a rising star like Klay Thompson sets a record, but it’s also special to see Mo Williams drop 52 points, or Hassan Whiteside tally his triple double. It reminds us that certain statistical marks are indeed impressive feats; when players like LeBron James rack up triple doubles left and right, we start to take the achievement for granted.
From a video game standpoint, it also gives us another intriguing player to try and trade for, a newly valuable role player that we can seek out when we put on our virtual GM caps. Amusingly, Whiteside himself referred to raising his NBA 2K rating after his triple double against the Bulls, and 2K were quick to respond.
https://vine.co/v/OThWw5QdvOL
We heard you loud & clear @youngwhiteside. That's how you get your rating up w/ actions on the floor #NBA2K15
— NBA 2K 2K18 (@NBA2K) January 25, 2015
While Whiteside seems to be taking the situation in pretty good humour here, I’ve always wondered if there are role players and benchwarmers who get miffed at their in-game ratings, as some players have been rated insultingly low over the years. If the 59 overall did bug Whiteside at all, he’s got to be happy with that jump to 77.
Of course, you have to be careful in handing out such huge boosts in roster updates. A 77 overall places Hassan Whiteside in the company of some pretty solid role players, and while he seems to be establishing himself as such a player, we’re still talking about a fairly small sample size. From personal experience, it’s very easy to jump the gun and give too much of a boost in a roster update after an impressive stretch of play. Should Whiteside’s play drop off a bit as the season continues, that 77 overall is going to look out of place for anyone who begins a new MyLEAGUE or MyGM game today.
However, that may be a bit too pessimistic, given the consistency of Whiteside’s play whenever he’s seen a decent amount of court time in January. As I said, it’s a feel-good story in the making; just as John Starks and Mario Elie finally found their place in the NBA following some hardships, just as Jeremy Lin got us all talking a few years back, Hassan Whiteside could be the next player to surprise everyone and become a noteworthy name in the league. If so, I hope that he doesn’t suffer any hype backlash as Lin did, and become fodder for the haters because all of a sudden, people are paying attention to him and he’s no longer overlooked.
We can debate whether 59 to 77 overall was a little too much, though I suppose only time will tell. Still, Whiteside has earned a significant boost with his recent play, while giving fans and gamers something to talk about, and potentially, a captivating story to watch unfold.
UPDATE/CLARIFICATION: The increase from 59 to 77 overall represents changes that have been made throughout the season; Hassan Whiteside has received a boost of two (75 to 77) in the most recent official roster update.
