The term “complisult” was coined by Gillian Jacobs’ character Britta Perry in hit NBC series Community. It means exactly what you think it means – a comment that is simultaneously a compliment and an insult. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra complisulted center Hassan Whiteside after the team’s win on Tuesday night:
More Spo: "Hassan, he is maybe for the first time in his career, he is playing more for the guys next to him than he is for himself."
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) March 29, 2017
Spoelstra’s comment is nice enough; Whiteside is playing team-first basketball. He could have just left it at that, though. Instead, he decided to take what many will interpret as a snarky shot at his starting center. He may not have meant to say that in an insulting manner, but that’s definitely how it reads.
The Heat have been one of the NBA’s biggest surprises this season. After a dismal 11-30 start to the season, Miami has bounced back to win 25 of their following 33 games. Now, the Heat have a 36-38 record, and – if the season ended today – they would make the playoffs in the eighth seed.
Spoelstra will certainly be a coach of the year candidate for doing so much with this roster, but the players obviously deserve a substantial amount of credit as well, particularly Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, and yes, Hassan Whiteside.
