The Utah Jazz have made another addition to the roster in Hassan Whiteside.
Free agent C Hassan Whiteside has agreed to a deal with the Utah Jazz, @excelbasketball agent Sean Kennedy tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 4, 2021
Exact numbers haven’t been revealed but it will likely be on a minimum deal. This solidifies Utah’s backup center position after the departure of Derrick Favors.
In all honestly, this is a surprising move that not a lot of Jazz fans likely expected. Although maybe they should have. In 36 games last season Whiteside put up a line of 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 56% from the field. That also included 1.3 blocks in 15.2 minutes per game.
The thing with Whiteside is that he puts up pretty gaudy numbers because of his size and length, and you can’t argue his ability to block shots. The question has always been is he a good defender that gets a lot of blocked shots? In the Jazz’s system we’ll definitely find out. For a player who excels at blocking shots, the Jazz’s system could be perfect, especially in a backup role.
The other thing always brought up with Whiteside is how much he made. When he was making huge money it was always too much for the results you actually got. Although on a veteran minimum salary it’s absolutely worth it.
Having watched Whiteside and Rudy Gobert go at it for years, it’ll be interesting to see them team up. The Jazz’s center position is now absolutely stacked with size from Gobert to Whiteside to Udoka Azubuike. There is not a single guy that can’t go in and block shots. It should be fun to watch.