Heat recall first-round pick Shabazz Napier from D-League
The Miami Heatannounced Monday that they have recalled guard Shabazz Napier and center Hassan Whiteside from their NBA D-League affiliate.
Napier, a first-round draft pick acquired from the Charlotte Hornets in June, played one game for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, scoring 22 points with three assists.
In 23 games for the Heat, Napier is averaging 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and two assists in 21.4 minutes per game, shooting 42.9 percent from the floor.
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Napier led Connecticut to a national championship last season, averaging 18 points and 4.9 assists as a senior for the Huskies.
Whiteside had 21 points and 12 rebounds along with four blocked shots in his one game with Sioux Falls. He is in his first season with the Heat and has played three games and nine minutes for them, scoring six points and getting four rebounds. He was signed Nov. 24, five days after he was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies for the second time this season.
Whiteside was a second-round pick by the Sacramento Kings out of Marshall in 2010 and has played in China, Lebanon and the D-League over the last two years.
- Phil Watson
