Whiteside: 'I'm Not Given Anything, I Just Take It'
Jimmy Butler was crowned the NBA's Most Improved Player of the 2014-15 season, after raising his averages to 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on 46-percent shooting from the field for the Bulls.
The Heat's Hassan Whiteside finished fourth after averaging 11.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks in his first season with Miami after spending two years overseas.
Hassan didn't expect to win the award, admitting as much on Twitter when a fan proffered his name and his numbers this season, saying "that's avg. 23 mins a game lol I won't win it tho that's how my life work I'm not given anything I just take it."
Whiteside's season averages don't really do him justice, though, because as he stated in the tweet, they correlate to just 23.8 minutes.
After the all-star break, his minutes increased to 28.4 the rest of the way, up from a paltry 19.6. With the increased dose of Hassanity, he averaged 13.7 points and 11.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks on 62-percent shooting.
His PER of 26.26 ranked sixth in the NBA, he led the league in rebound rate and was second in blocks per 48 minutes.
Considering Hassan Whiteside technically averaged donuts across the board the two seasons before, is he not technically the league's Most Improved Player?
Follow Josh on Twitter (@JoshBaumgard)
