It's been a dark couple of weeks here in South Florida, as residents have seen the Miami Heat struggle to overcome the loss of superstar Lebron James, who returned to Clevland in the offseason. The proud franchise, which went to the NBA Finals in the last four seasons, currently sits at 7th place in the Eastern Conference. Needless to say, the loss of James is hurting.
However, the emergence of one player — Hassan Whiteside — is offering fans a glimmer of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel. The 7-foot center has only started a handful of games for the Heat, which signed him in mid-November, but he's quickly starting to make his presence known on the court — both in real life and in video games.
Following his career day against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, in which Whiteside recorded 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 blocks in just 24-minutes, he was asked what sparked his performance. Aside from a desire to win, Whiteside is finding motivation in NBA 2K15.
"I'm just trying to really get my NBA 2K rating up," Whiteside said after the game. Turns out, developer 2K was listening. Whiteside's stellar performance — not just Sunday but over the last 8 games (an average of 12.1 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game) — has led to a massive increase in his overall in NBA 2K15. He went from a subpar 59 to a 77 overall.
He deserved it, he asked (https://t.co/BBmasC50Ho) & he got it. Roster update live: @youngwhiteside has moved from 59->77 w/ eraser #NBA2K15
— NBA 2K 2K15 (@NBA2K) January 25, 2015
And just because it was so impressive, here's a look at Hassan Whiteside's franchise-record 12 blocks against the Bulls.
We're still awaiting the roster update to drop, but when it does, it'll drop it like it's hot. Get it? Heat. Hot? Yea, I'll stop now.
