Justise Winslow was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft after a successful season at Duke where he helped the team win a National Championship. While many experts had him going higher than that, the Miami Heat drafted a player with a lot of potential.
Coming into the 2015-2016 NBA Season, the Heat already had established Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and even Luol Deng. Winslow was one of the few rookies on the team that had a chance to be a building block of the future. In his first game, he showed for he can do in the first few minutes of his career. While it was only five points, it gave Heat fans excitement for what was to come in the future.
Winslow’s role was simple this past year, a defensive energy boost off the bench. While his jumper was the main question of his game, no one questioned his constant energy night in and night out. At the end of the season, he was named to the All-NBA Rookie Second Team.
Justise Winslow 2015-2016 regular season averages: 6.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals while shooting 42.2% from the field (including 27.6% from three). Played in 78 games (started in eight of them.)
These are not eye-popping numbers but Winslow was not asked to do a lot. Just come off the bench, watch the veterans and bring his energy off the bench. Now going into year two things will be completely different. With Wade leaving for Chicago, Deng leaving for Los Angeles and not knowing if Chris Boshis healthy enough to play, Winslow looks to fill that void his sophomore season. The Heat still have Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside to rely on if Winslow struggles. Bottom line, the Miami Heat are likely going to be a completely different team this season.
From a defensive standpoint Justise Winslow will do great. He has the ability to contest jumpers and stop fast breaks. With his size and athleticism, he’ll be hard to guard. If he fixes his jumper next year, he can be a standout player for the Miami Heat.
Hey, @IAmJustise! pic.twitter.com/dGXpSX9yjC
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) July 28, 2016
