3 ways Hassan Whiteside could help the Los Angeles Lakers

Hassan Whiteside adds elite rebounding to the Los Angeles Lakers

Hassan Whiteside is by no means the perfect player.

He is flawed in a great many ways, some that at times come at the detriment of the team. He can switch off and be a revolving door when it comes to perimeter defense, he is consistently in the minus column when it comes to +/- stats, he can at times be a diva and cannot shoot whatsoever.

A glowing endorsement for what some hope will be the Laker’s next center!

But the 7″ Footer has certain traits which many consider to be elite.

Rebounding is definitely one of them.

For his career, Hassan Whiteside is averaging 11.4RPG,  3.3 of which are offensive rebounds. That’s insane.

He has had two seasons averaging over 13 rebounds a game (2019-20 13.5RPG & 2016-17,14.1RPG).

Incredible numbers that showcase a big man who knows where to be when it comes to rebounding the ball.

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While the Los Angeles Lakers haven’t really struggled in terms of rebounding, the addition of Whiteside does relieve pressure on certain players who have been forced to carry the load on the rebounding front namely Anthony Davis.

Adding Whiteside to the purple and gold allows for Davis not to bang down low and enforce himself in the paint and he can simply make his way up the court on offense knowing that there is a presence down low who will gladly clean the boards and make his job significantly easier.

With AD’s injuries this season, Whiteside will come in and make Davis’ job much easier and allow him to focus on getting his body right for the playoffs and not be the team’s premier rebounder and shot-blocker all the time.

This can benefit the Lakers hugely this season if they have Whiteside willing to do all the dirty work.