Heat coach Erik Spoelstra gave Whiteside a vote of confidence at Monday's media day, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports. "We need him," Spoelstra said. "He knows that. I know that. I haven't forgotten about the player he's capable of being."

EDGE Analysis

A coach publicly expressing confidence in a player usually isn't news, but Whiteside is a unique case. The 29-year-old reclamation project averaged 17.0 points and a league-best 14.1 rebounds per game two seasons ago, but he struggled to find consistency amid injuries in 2017-18, appearing in just 54 games and averaging more than seven fewer minutes per game (25.3 MPG) than he did in 2016-17. While Whiteside started every game in which he appeared, the Heat often favored Kelly Olynyk and rookie Bam Adebayo at center, with both players offering more versatility, particularly on the offensive end. As one of the few remaining "traditional" centers in the league, Whiteside's career is at somewhat of a crossroads, but at this point it appears the Heat will attempt to make things work with the former second-round pick, who is set to make $25.4 million this season and holds a player option for $27.1 million in 2019-20.