Justise Winslow is back for the Miami Heat tonight, as they look for a win against the New York Knicks.
The missing puzzle piece to the 2018-19 Miami Heat may finally be added tonight.
Power forward Justise Winslow has been cleared to play, and will make his season debut against the New York Knicks.
It’s been a rough first few games of this NBA season for the Heat.
Each game has been decided by three points or less, two resulting in losses. And injuries have kept some of their star players on the sidelines.
However, thankfully, one is on the mend.
A hamstring injury has kept Winslow down, making him miss the first three games of the season. He began practicing with the team a few days ago and is now ready to join the team on the court.
It’s not official if Winslow will start or not though, especially being that it’s his first game back.
Winslow’s starter replacement Derrick Jones Jr is listed as doubtful with a foot injury, so the Heat may not have a choice in their opening lineup, with their limited number of players not suffering from injuries.
Jones Jr., along with Wayne Ellington, are listed as doubtful for tonight’s game, with James Johnson and Dion Waiters having both been ruled out.
Winslow, who averaged 5.4 rebounds per game and 38 percent 3-point shooting last year, has what the Heat need to push themselves over the edge of the mediocrity that they’ve been showing.
Winslow has the ability to create plays, and is also the perfect height and size to guard men that are both bigger and smaller than him.
Winslow is one of the more versatile players on the Heat team, being able to play so many positions because of his speed and strength. Offensively, he’s able to shoot 3’s and also muscle his way into the paint. Defensively, he’s a 6-foot-6 wall, that can guard the post.
Winslow’s style of defensive playing is what the Heat have been missing.
Josh Richardson, Goran Dragic, and Rodney McGruder have been holding the Heat down offensively, averaging 18.7, 18, and 15.7 points per game respectively, and Hassan Whiteside and Bam Adebayo have both been crucial on defense.
Adding Winslow to the mix is only going to help the Heat get over those close-game humps.
Going into tonight’s game, the Knicks are also facing injury challenges of their own.
Their franchise player Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out until at least Christmas, starter Courtney Lee is out with a neck injury, and rookie Kevin Knox is out with an ankle sprain.
The Knicks (1-3) and the Heat (1-2) both have interesting lineups, and it’s going to come down to who can outplay who. For Dragic, Richardson, and Whiteside, the Knicks have Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Enes Kanter.
It’s going to be a fun battle to watch on both ends of the court, and hopefully the injury list doesn’t increase.
Losing another Heat player to injury is just heartbreaking at this point and the team (nor myself) just can’t take any more heartbreak.
Tonight’s matchup will be the Heat’s second home game, and is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM ET.