Miami Heat RTD: Summer League Musings

Welcome back to another Miami Heat Round Table Discussion. On today’s agenda, we talk about the Summer League.

Are you at all worried about Justise Winslow after his sub-par numbers from Summer League?

Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg): Not really. Summer League is not for guys like Winslow as much as it is for guys like Josh Richardson (more on him later) and Joshua Smith–guys trying to prove themselves and are not guaranteed to make a roster. Hell, Winslow missed a summer league game to go to the ESPYs. He played well in Orlando, when he was used more as a ball handler. He was a little more uncomfortable in Vegas, where he played more off the ball. That should be expected, and he’ll get better at it. His shooting numbers weren’t great (33.8 percent, 3-of-12 from beyond the arc), but those should improve when he gets more room to shoot in the regular season as a complementary to an All-Star studded lineup and solid bench rotation. We’ve yet to see the best of Winslow.

Allana Tachauer (@ChitownHeiress): Not at all. While the Summer League can definitely shed light on certain things, it is not a great indicator of success within the NBA. There have been plenty of standouts in the Summer League that have gone no where, and sometimes even the greatest rookies underwhelm. Justise Winslow has already made it, he had no real reason to go give it his all. And honestly, he did not even do that poorly. He definitely had a few breakout games (in Orlando, for example, when he scored 17 points against the Detroit Pistons). Winslow will not disappoint come the regular season.

Ehsan Kassim (@Ehsan_Kassim): Nope, not at all. Justise Winslow had a great showing at the Orlando Summer League and then the combination of fatigue from Orlando and his ankle slowed him down in Las Vegas. Nothing Winslow was going to do in either Summer League was going to change my mind about him at all. His far bigger sample size as a college player suggests he’ll be fine in the long-term. And as for any rookie, there will be a developmental stage for him. This is why Deng opting in was so great for the Heat. Less pressure on the 19-year old.

Chris Posada (@CPoTweetsStuff): Come on, it’s Summer League. We’re supposed to judge a 19-year old on a stretch of games trying to acclimate himself to a whole new system? Winslow was up-and-down this Summer League, which may have some Heat fans flashing back to Shabazz Napier last summer. The good news: the role Winslow will have on this Heat roster is a night-and-day difference than the one he just had to deal with. He’ll be able to learn on the job alongside guys like Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng, just worrying about defense and his catch-and-shooting from three – which he shot 40% in college. I would have more concern if he were going to a rebuilding team. Miami isn’t that.

Joseph Zapata (@JosephZapataIII): He definitely didn’t shine, but Derrick Rose shot below 30 percent in his first Summer League stint, so there’s no reason to push the panic button just yet. Winslow was a little inefficient, but he showed a great ability to get to the charity stripe, and he proved to be a versatile defender.

Kristopher Keaton (@kris_world): I don’t think we should worry about a freshly drafted rookie in his summer league action. The pace of the game quickens, and the caliber of athlete increases just a bit. It wasn’t a stellar performance by any means, but the bright side is there’s nowhere else to go but up.

Next: Josh Richardson's Place in Miami