Player exit review: Justise Winslow’s season derailed by injury, inconsistency
By Cory Sanning
Where do we go from here?
Winslow entered the league with the potential to develop into one of the NBA’s most potent two-way players, hence the comparisons to Leonard.
While some are frustrated with his lack of growth offensively, my faith has not wavered. I believe that with more work that Winslow could average 15-20 points per game.
Rome was not built in a day, and developing a reliable jump shot can often take several years to master, just ask Jason Kidd.
Riley doesn’t seem the least bit concerned, and he feels the criticism aimed at Winslow’s outside shooting is totally unwarranted. (Quote via the Miami Herald.)
"“I wish you would get off his three-point shooting… He will make enough of them. When you have Dion and Wayne Ellington and you have James and Tyler and you have others and Goran, you are going to need a player that’s sort of like the backbone of your team, a glue guy. It bothers me when you’re taking away from a guy who is 75 games from being on the court. It’s unfair to him. Give him a chance.”"
In a sense, he’s totally right. Winslow missed nearly 80 percent of last season, and it is tough to truly judge a player on such a small sample size.
Next: Josh Richardson's up and down season
At this point, it’s impossible to truly predict what will happen going forward, but if I know Riley and Spoelstra’s system well enough by now, Heat fans should have nothing to worry about.