2. Rapid Emergence
The fact of the matter is, Whiteside came out of nowhere.
This is a guy who wasn’t even a blip on the NBA’s radar before the last couple of months. He emerged from obscurity and has become one of the league’s most dominant forces on both sides of the court.
Of recent sensations, Jeremy Lin is the most comparable. During the 2011-12 season, Lin took the NBA by storm when he too rose from little-known bench player into becoming arguably his team’s most valuable player. The point guard would end up finishing the season sixth in the voting for the Most Improved Player award.
While Lin posted nice averages of 14.6 points and 6.2 assists per game, it’s nowhere near the dominance that Whiteside has displayed for the Heat so far this season.
Lin led a mediocre New York Knicks team to victories. Whiteside is breaking records.
Therein lies the key difference.
Next: Heat’s Best Two-Way Player?
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