Milwaukee Bucks Game Preview: Jan. 13 vs Miami Heat

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Dec 20, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) points over to the Orlando Magic bench during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Magic defeated the Heat in a double overtime 136-130. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Player To Watch: Hassan Whiteside

This could really be Hassan Whiteside/Goran Dragic, but Whiteside gets a slight edge because he impacts the game more on both ends. Dragic will face some good defenders like Malcolm Brogdon and Tony Snell, while Whiteside will likely draw Henson to start on Friday.

He’s got a big size advantage there, and although Greg Monroe is bulky enough to stop him from walking all over him Whitesize has a huge verticality advantage over the Moose. I guess Milwaukee could throw Miles Plumlee at him to try and tire out Whiteside, but Plumlee has no business contending with him on either end.

Even in the pace and space era the NBA is currently in, centers are very important. The center spot on defense is the most important, because so much that happens offensively involves driving to the rim at some point.

It’s tough to drive against Whiteside. He’s likely most of the reason that the Heat are 12th in defensive rating and eighth in points allowed per game–this dude is stopping Miami from being a dumpster fire on both ends.

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