The Miami Heat's season came to an end on Tuesday night after losing Game 5 to the Philadelphia 76ers 104-91. As was the case all series long, they played hard, getting an 18-point deficit down to single digits in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for Miami, it just didn't have enough left in the tank to complete the comeback.
With the season over, it might have been a quiet night in the Miami locker room. Hassan Whiteside, however, had other ideas. The big man once again complained about his lack of playing time, continuing a trend that has been going on for a while now.
Hassan Whiteside clearly frustrated he only got to play 10 minutes in Game 5: "At least give me a chance to fight. I can understand if I was playing 30 minutes and I played bad. At least give me a chance."
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) April 25, 2018
Hassan again makes clear he is unhappy about playing time, plans to talk to Heat officials about future.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) April 25, 2018
Whiteside played 10 minutes in the game -- and was a minus-14. He scored two points on 0-for-4 shooting and had five rebounds. For the series, he played about 15 minutes per contest. With the Sixers often electing to go small, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra decided to give most of the minutes at the five to Kelly Olynyk -- a more mobile player who can space the floor.
Upon hearing Whiteside's comments, Dwyane Wade called on his teammate not to make excuses.
Dwyane Wade calls on Hassan Whiteside not to make excuses about this series. He pleads with him to work hard this summer and come back strong for next season. "Hopefully he gets motivated from this series." Seems to be genuinely rooting for Whiteside to get it right.
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) April 25, 2018
It will be interesting to see what happens with Whiteside in the offseason. This is not the first time he has made comments questioning his future in Miami. He saw his playing time limited down the stretch, and the Heat were much worse with him on the floor this season. His net rating differential was minus-4.4 points per 100 possessions, the worst mark of any of the nine Heat players who played at least 1,000 minutes this season.
But with two years left on a four-year, $98 million contract -- including a player option for the fourth and final season -- it will be tough for the Heat to move him.