Pelica Debrief
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New Orleans Pelicans: 2 Top Market Centers to Target in Free Agency

By Zach Davidson

Serge Ibaka and Hassan Whiteside could be big man answers for the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Serge Ibaka and Hassan Whiteside could be big man answers for the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Hassan Whiteside, New Orleans Pelicans
Feb 29, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Hassan Whiteside (21) blocks a shot attempt by Atlanta Hawks guard Cam Reddish (22) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

New Orleans Pelicans: Free-agent center targets, Hassan Whiteside

Center Target #2 -Hassan Whiteside

What Hassan Provides

  • Shot Blocking
  • Rebounding
  • Lob Finishing

Hassan Whiteside is also a free agent this offseason. Whiteside had a great season starting at center for the Portland Trail Blazers. With Jusuf Nurkic coming back in 2021, I can see Whiteside wanting to move onto another organization, so he can move back into a starting job.

Last year Hassan Whiteside averaged 15.5 PPG, 13.5 RPG, and 2.9 BPG. Whiteside led the entire NBA in blocked shots with 196.

Whiteside is a huge body to have down low and it would help tremendously on the defensive end, where the Pelicans critically lacked last season. The Pelicans gave up 52.2 points in the paint per game last year, placing them 28th out of the 30 teams in the league in that category.

Along with that, Whiteside is one of the top rebounders in the league. He was ranked behind only Rudy Gobert in that department. The Pelicans were 26th in giving up 2nd chance points at 13.6 per game. So having a center that can rebound is crucial.

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Also, Zion and Ingram aren’t the most willing rebounders as it is, so with the addition of Whiteside they wouldn’t have to worry about that aspect of the game as much and they could focus more on running out on the break and getting it going on offense.

Last season I noticed that Whiteside gained a touch in the paint, making him a threat whenever he gets the ball inside. He shot 62% from the field last year, 4th in the NBA.

The New Orleans Pelicans can’t go wrong signing either of these players this offseason.

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