VIDEO: Hassan Whiteside Hasn't Changed at All Based on Horrible Defensive Effort on Nikola Jokic

Hassan Whiteside was supposed to be a monster reborn in the paint after heading to Portland from Miami, if you believed the man himself. Whiteside, who said he felt like a "kid on Christmas" heading into his first battle as a member of the Blazers, performed like an adult man who'd gotten coal in his stocking. Locked in a tight one with Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets at home, Whiteside chose to do just about the minimum when confronted by the MVP candidate, failing to even so much as raise his arms when the Joker went up for the shot.

A changed man. An all-new Whiteside. Who IS this revelation?!

Cut to Eric Spoelstra casually taking a bite of an apple, looking you dead in the eye, and smiling.

Whiteside earned his way back into the NBA after serving his time in the G League by being a tenacious shot-blocker and intimidating presence around the rim. This...this is not that.

The numbers look good!

The performance was not.