It’s not always about the spectacular.

On a night when Dion Waiters sealed yet another win with yet another bombastic three, this one a high-arcing, double-clutch dagger just one game after banking in a deep three in the final minute, one of the most notable performances wasn’t the late-game hero (24 points for Waiters) or the every-game dynamo (22 for Goran Dragic). Rather, it was a rather mundane, workmanlike effort from Hassan Whiteside which set the tone for the entire evening.

Ten points, 15 rebounds and four blocks – just about his season averages – aren’t going to have many singing Whiteside’s praises, but these are exactly the types of games that are most noteworthy. These are the nights when the numbers aren’t extraordinary and the results aren’t particularly glowing, but the contributions lead to a win.

We’ve discussed often in this space how Miami’s defense has changed over the past three seasons. For a time, Erik Spoelstra stuck with the same hyper-aggressive, blitzing style that took the team to four consecutive NBA Finals. As the league adjusted to beat that system with ball movement, Miami slowly shifted to more conservative schemes like those made popular by Tom Thibodeau’s Chicago Bulls. Once Hassan Whiteside established himself as a starting-caliber player in Miami, the transformation was complete. The HEAT’s defense became exactly what teams had used against them for years.

Where Miami once prevented open shots by putting multiple players in rotation and sprinting around the floor, now they allow the fewest three-point attempts (tied with Utah) in the league by generally staying put.

Whiteside makes that possible.

Take, for instance, this possession from Wednesday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Notice where all the defender’s not involved in the pick-and-roll are? They’re home on their assignments. It’s up to Kemba Walker’s defender to fight through the screen, and it’s up to Whiteside to both deter the rhythm jumper and keep the ball away from the rim. It’s literally up to him. Stop or not, there’s no help coming. The HEAT aren’t going to give up catch-and-shoot threes.

“It’s great to be able to guard a pick-and-roll two-on-two, with just the big,” McGruder said. “It helps us out when he can do that. You can stay home on your shooter because Hassan is down in his stance pressuring the ball.”

Those players defending shooters aren’t over-exaggerating their assignments. Thibodeau used to have his defenders all but hug Ray Allen and Shane Battier in the corners while LeBron James ran a pick-and-roll. The HEAT remain in position to help, and that threat of help which will never come creates a tight pocket for Walker to operate in. That pocket helps keep Walker on the North-South spectrum. Whiteside’s arms stretch from pole to pole.

So even when Walker gets a step in front, when Whiteside is at his very best he can still disrupt the play.

“I have to keep it two-on-two,” Whiteside said. “I have to stop Kemba and I have to get back to Cody Zeller. It’s tough. You have to be an athletic five to really play the system, and I’m blessed with a lot of length and athleticism.”

The overall numbers weren’t great. Walker scored 33 points on 24 shots. With Whiteside on the floor, the Hornets had an offensive rating of 120.1 – a number that would lead the league by a good margin. Walker produced 1.06 points for every pick he used. But that Charlotte offense came mostly from where Miami wants it. The Hornets shot just 11-of-21 at the rim, with Walker shooting just 2-of-8 in that same zone, as nearly half of their 80 attempts came between the rim and the three-point line.

The Hornets shot just 21 threes. They had just 14 assists, of which Walker had just one.

In other words, the results didn’t reflect the process.

“Hassan did a great job,” McGruder said. “He was a key to this win. He made it look like nothing was there for Kemba. Usually Kemba comes off those pick-and-rolls looking comfortable, getting to the sweet spots and picking his poison but he didn’t have many options today because big fella stepped up, down in his stance, making it tough on him.”

While Willie Reed deserves a huge chunk of credit for executing the same scheme for Miami’s highly valuable bench units – the team has a defensive rating of 99.9 when he’s on the floor, which would lead the league – it’s Whiteside who has to contain all of the league’s best guards. Sometimes he wins that battle, sometimes he doesn’t.

The larger point, however, is that even when Whiteside is getting beat he’s still facilitating the existence of a system. The team has taken pride in its pick-and-roll coverage all season, and according to player tracking data they are tied with the Golden State Warriors as the best against direct pick-and-rolls (shots within one pass of the action). That coverage allows for tighter spacing on shooters which leads to shorter, more controlled closeouts which leads to less penetration. That coverage allows players like McGruder and Josh Richardson to pressure the ball and fight over screens – allows them a degree of agency the league’s most conservative schemes can often strip from a defender.

So while Miami’s three-point shooting has put them over-the-top time and time again over the past month and a half, remember that it’s the defense that keeps these games close enough for those threes to matter. And that defense will always go as Whiteside goes – which is by design.