To the naked eye, Justise Winslow was a vastly improved player for the Miami Heat this season, but do the numbers say the same? Let’s take a look as we dish out season grades.
If going by what your eyes tell you, Justise Winslow was a completely different player this season than he had been in the past, and this was all while playing a different position. Being the de facto point man for the Miami Heat this season, not only was it a new position for Winslow, but among the most difficult positions to play in the league.
Winslow was a hit as the lead man for the Miami Heat if going by the eye test, improving in his play-making, facilitating and scoring abilities. He even managed to become somewhat of a threat with his jump-shot this season, even extending his range out to the 3-ball. The numbers help to tell the complete story, but do Winslow’s point to a happy ending?
This season saw Justise Winslow average nearly 13 points, almost five and half rebounds, and just over four assists. He did so on 43 percent shooting from the field, while also shooting from long-range at a clip right at 38 percent. These numbers are pretty good when considering he’s averaged only around nine points, closer to five rebounds, and just over two and a half assists over his short career.
What makes these numbers even more impressive, is that when compared to last season’s numbers from Justise, his scoring average is up five points while his assist numbers practically doubled. Throw in the fact that he was the main ball handler for much of the season, and it makes these numbers that much more impressive.
Raising his effective field goal percentage by nearly three percent from last season, and four percent compared to his career effective field goal percentage, Winslow delivered when asked to do more offensively this season. As no one is perfect, it would be impossible to give anyone that isn’t an All Star an A+, unless they were right on the cusp of All-Stardom. Winslow isn’t at that level yet in his career, but when combining his improvement in play in almost every aspect with the task he was asked to complete this season, you cannot grade him offensively any less than an A-.
When considering that he was touted as a future All-NBA defender coming out of college, you expect his defense to be better or at least right on par with his offensive performance this season. Justise did not disappoint in this area either for the Miami Heat.
Being tasked to play the point guard on offense, it was often his responsibility to guard the opposing point guard, unless the lineup on the floor dictated that it was better to have him guard the opponents best wing. He often would guard the wing when Josh Richardson or James Johnson wasn’t on the floor with him, or when Dion Waiters couldn’t handle the match-up. Regardless of who it was he guarded though, he always seemed to do a good job.
When looking at the numbers, his block numbers decreased by a half a block per game from last season where he averaged one block per, but that was more than likely a function of playing a ton more on the perimeter than he has over his pro career. When looking at the steals, where he averaged 1.8 of them this season, that was up a bit from last season where he averaged 1.6.
When looking at a number that encompasses his total defensive performance, his defensive plus/minus figures, he had his lowest figure of his career. An even one point, which was down from 1.7 a season ago and from his career figure of 1.4, is actually his best defensive plus/minus rating ever.
Using the same approach that was taken on the offensive end, you notice that there was an increase in performance across what most consider the more important categories. Although his blocks were a bit lower, he increased his amount of steals, but this is to be expected from someone who goes from playing mostly in the paint to playing mostly around the perimeter. For these reasons, Justise can’t be rated any lower than an A- on defense, with strong consideration being given towards awarding an A.
Most overall player grades could be simply composited by taking an average of the offensive and defensive grades, but in Winslow’s case, you need to add another category. With Winslow still being a fairly young player, development is another area to take a look at. It is simple though.
When looking at both sets of his numbers, offensive and defensive, the increases in most shows that there was definitely development there. When thinking about how well he performed in a somewhat new position, there are also signs of development there as well. When taking them both into account, you have to award Winslow another even A, while becoming a more consistent long ball shooter would have definitely maxed him out here.
When combining his A- from offense, his A- from defense, and his A for development, you then get his final grade. Guess Justise really was better for the Miami Heat this season. #JustiseBetter.
Final Grade: A