Finally, what kind of a role do you see Justise Winslow fitting into this year?
Tachauer: Justise Winslow still completely confuses me, but I’m strangely okay with that because he seems to show me something new about his game, every few weeks. Ideally, I’d love for him to take on more of a point guard role. I know ‘Point Winslow’ started out as a joke amongst Heat Twitter, but at this point, I think he’s proven his worth in that capacity. Obviously he’s no Goran Dragic, but his constantly improving playmaking and ball-handling abilities are definitely something Miami can (and should) capitalize on. Especially given that his shot hasn’t really developed at the rate people hoped it would, and that he already pretty much has defense down pat.
Ebrahim: The role I think he’ll take this year is some fraction of the one I envision for him. The role I envision for him? While it may be a lofty goal for him, I want to see him firmly entrench himself as the backup point guard for the team. Better passing, better ball-handling, better decision-making. This would lessen his spacing and shooting burden, something he clearly has always had trouble with. Defensively, I’d love to see him continue the “switch ability” trend the Heat have developed. By that, I mean, I’d like to see him keep developing as a wing defender as it allows head coach Erik Spoelstra to keep throwing multiple bodies (James Johnson, Josh Richardson, etc.) at elite offensive players. It’s always a hope to have him develop a jumper or be able to defend bigs at a higher rate, but those are things that may be beyond his abilities.
Who’s ready for 2018-19?