Whiteside was drafted in the 2010 NBA Draft to the Sacramento Kings. He was drafted the same year that DeMarcus Cousins was drafted. He put up some good numbers in his lone season at Marshall and his size was a huge factor in the Kings taking him with the 3rd pick of the 2nd round. He lasted for two seasons in Sacramento before being out of the NBA. He spent two seasons playing overseas in China and in Lebanon before making it back to the NBA. He was with the Memphis Grizzlies until November of 2014, but was released and picked up by the Heat. He played well enough for the Heat until his breakout game against the Clippers in January of 2015. He had an amazing game scoring 23 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in under 30 minutes helping Miami get a 14 point win. He had some other moments during that season, but he had showed Miami enough to warrant a spot on the roster.
His next two seasons in Miami have seen him become in my opinion, one of the best centers in the league. He put up great numbers for the Heat and helped them make the playoffs despite Chris Bosh missing a good chunk of the season. In the playoffs, he played well getting the Heat to the 2nd round where they lost in 7 to the Raptors. Last season, when everyone thought Miami was on their way to a high lottery pick at 10-31, Whiteside was a key factor in their 31-10 finish that almost got them to the playoffs. He led the league in rebounding and averaged a career high in points. In the last two seasons, Whiteside is one of only 14 players in the league to have over 9 win shares in each season. Win shares determine how many wins a player was responsible for helping his team to win. The other names in that group are All-Stars and All-NBA performers like Lebron James, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, etc.
That gets to the core of the problem with Whiteside that I have seen people mention. It is that he seems very preoccupied with stats when he is out on the court. He averaged almost 4 blocks a game in his first full season in Miami and many felt that he gave up easy buckets chasing those blocks. He likes to put up numbers and he does it well, but I am looking forward to watching him more closely this season to see if he is the dominant center I think he is or the stat chaser that others see when they watch him play. He is a valuable player for the Heat to have and I think if they have any hope of making the playoffs, he is going to need a big year.