Hassan Whiteside Signs with Jazz

Hassan Whiteside, who had been floating in free agency until now, has just signed a deal with the Utah Jazz:

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

While the 32-year-old Whiteside has generally failed to live up to the potential that he displayed earlier in his career, this move indicates that the Jazz seek an alternative option at the center position to Rudy Gobert, whose playoff performance last season was at times less than inspiring. Considering that the Jazz traded their backup center Derrick Favors to OKC earlier today, Whiteside will likely see an increased role compared to last season. Whiteside played only 36 games last year on the Kings, but he still showed flashes of what made him such an exciting player several years ago:

Though he has long been criticized for his effort, there is no question that when Whiteside puts his mind to it he can be a formidable force in the paint. Whiteside led the league with 3.7 blocks per game in the 2016-17 season and was an All-Defensive Second Team selection that year. Considering the presence of Rudy Gobert on the Jazz, it is reasonable to think that Utah now have the potential to dominate the paint for an entire game.

Whiteside has averaged 13.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in his nine NBA seasons, according to Basketball-Reference.