Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside has made a bold claim by suggesting that he can be successful on 75% of his free throws this season.

Whiteside was in pre-season action for the first time on Saturday, recording 12 points, nine rebounds and six blocks in a 105-100 win over the Houston Rockets.

An impressive line of statistics could have been even better had the 26-year-old not missed all nine of his free throws, but he is confident that that side of his game will improve.

"I think I'm [going to] shoot like around 75, or 75 or above, or at least over 70. That's really a goal for me. Pat Riley kind of was the first person to say, 'I think that should be one of your goals for this year' and I really worked on it a lot," Whiteside told the Miami Herald.

Heat start the season at home to the Charlotte Hornets next Wednesday.