The flurry of NBA players sent packing to the D-League keeps on coming.
Sacramento Kings center Hassan Whiteside, who has ties to Newark East Side High School and Greenburgh, N.Y., was sent to the Reno Bighorns on Monday.
Whiteside, the No. 33 pick in this year’s draft, is the ninth NBA player on assignment to the D-League this season, joining 2009 first-round picks Terrence Williams and Christian Eyenga; 2010 first-round picks Cole Aldrich, Patrick Patterson and Ed Davis; and 2010 second-round picks Dexter Pittman, Solomon Alabi and Gani Lawal.
The 7-foot, 235-pound Whiteside has appeared in one regular season game and one preseason game for the Kings this year. He started all six games for Sacramento in the 2010 NBA Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 6.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and a team-high 2.3 blocks.
In one year at Marshall, Whiteside led the nation with 5.4 blocks per game, and also averaged 13.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in 34 games. He was named the Conference USA Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year, and was an AP All-American Honorable Mention selection.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
And like ZAGS on Facebook.