Hassan Whiteside averaged 24.7 points and 20 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers this season mostly because Myles Turner failed to match his level of physicality. Indiana’s young center idly watched as lob passes soared above his out-of-position outstretched arms, he allowed himself to get pushed too far under the basket, he shirked his responsibility to box out, and he committed multiple touch fouls of the soft variety.
That’s a problem. Worse still, is that it was a recurrent problem. Near to the same thing happened in separate games against Anthony Davis (35 points, 16 rebounds) and Marcin Gortat (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Jonas Valanciunas (16 points, 17 rebounds).