Lastly, should Justise Winslow be given a more specific role, moving forward?
Tachauer: We all know that Spoelstra loves positionless basketball, and there are definitely pros to that kind of system. However, not all players thrive in such an environment, and so far this year, Winslow seems to be a little like a fish out of water. It’s true that he missed six contests, but even taking that into consideration, his shooting numbers aren’t great. While he’s averaging 9.4 points a game, he’s shooting just 35.0 percent from the floor. Miami needs to find a way to better incorporate him into their offense, perhaps even permanently plugging him into the role of a backup point guard to Dragic, so he becomes more comfortable getting shots up. It’s hard for anyone to juggle wearing multiple hats in a season, but this becomes even tougher for a guy who is much stronger on one end of the court, than the other.
Leniart: The strong suit of Winslow’s game has always been his defense. When opposing teams run screens, he can switch onto most NBA players without feeling mismatched. A player like that is a huge luxury to have in the NBA. The issues with Winslow arise with his offensive production. He has not shown any signs of improvement shooting the basketball this season. If he is unable to correct that moving forward, whatever role he has, will be one with reduced minutes. Ideally, Winslow will steadily improve his shooting over the next couple of seasons and become a prototypical “three and d” guy. He can give the team a solid effort on the defensive end, and then set screens and spot up behind the 3-point line on offense. Winslow can continue to provide value on defense in the meantime, but if his shooting struggles continue, expect to see his minutes reduced in favor of the other guards on the Heat’s bench.
Win or lose, the talent on this roster is there.