Whether it’s fair or not, ever since being drafted with the 10th overall pick by the Miami Heat, fans and writers have compared Justise Winslow to 11-time All-Star Dwyane Wade. The comparison may be premature considering Wade is one of the greatest guards of all time, and Winslow has yet to record a single minute in an NBA game, but those are the breaks of being a lottery pick.
Thanks to the Summer League, we finally got a chance to see Winslow play for the first time since March, and he did not impress. Unfortunately for Winslow, superstar expectations for the 10th pick who isn’t even old enough to legally drink is the extremely unfair hand that he was dealt. In six games (all of which he started), he averaged only nine points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and less than a steal per contest. Even worse, he shot an ugly 33.8 percent from the field.
Back in 2003, when Dwyane Wade was making his first impressions in the Summer League, he was an immediate success, averaging 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Not only did Wade impress, but he did it all while playing out of position. He spent large amounts of that summer running the point, and even though he racked up a few turnovers, his potential was obvious.
Not only did Winslow underperform offensively, but he also struggled creating turnovers on defense, averaging less than one steal or block a game combined.
Winslow’s numbers aren’t pretty, and some fans may be pushing the “panic” button, but this is a normal Summer League performance for many young prospects. All-time great, LeBron James shot 36.9 percent during his first Summer League stint, and back in 2008, Derrick Rose shot 29.4 percent from the floor. When it comes to stats in July, they should always be taken with a grain of salt.
He may not have had the coming out party that Wade did back in 2003, but Winslow did show a few positive traits. Defensively, he showed versatility, defending positions 1-4, and offensively, he showed the ability to get to the line. In the first three games of July, Winslow got to the charity stripe 30 times, and connected on 21 of those attempts.
His numbers might not be as impressive as Wade’s back in 2003, but Wade was two years older than Winslow as a rookie. Winslow has all the talent in the potential in the world to become a great NBA player; all he needs is time to mature. Luckily for him, Winslow won’t be required to go out there and perform on Day 1. With Wade and Luol Deng on the roster, Winslow can come off the bench and ease into the NBA.