MIAMI _ With the Miami Heat moving on to another game, Thursday night against the Los Angeles Lakers at AmericanAirlines Arena, coach Erik Spoelstra said he has moved on from Hassan Whiteside's questioning of his shot totals.
"What I like is that he wants to impact more," Spoelstra said Thursday. "And he's starting to learn all the different ways you can impact winning. And your initial instinct will be about touches. But that's a fraction of the game and how you can impact it."
Whiteside had questioned his lack of late-game touches in Tuesday's double-overtime loss to the Orlando Magic.
Spoelstra said his conversations with his shot-blocking center have shown an awareness of ways to otherwise influence outcomes.
"He's really starting to embrace how important he is to this team and his leadership and the responsibility to all the details and little things, and that's the part that's been good to see," Spoelstra said.
"So when the guy speaks up like that, and I've been pushing him and prodding him and shoving him to want to do more, and he does, amen."
