Justise Winslow was the de facto point guard for the Miami Heat for a good part of last season. What should we expect heading into this season though?
The Miami Heat were in a seemingly tough situation at one point last season. Goran Dragic was to be out for an undetermined substantial period of time, and there wasn’t a really solid backup option at the point guard position.
Dwyane Wade could have filled in at the role, but he was already cemented into a role that fit him like a glove. He had settled into the sixth man role nicely, becoming the firepower and spark plug for the Miami Heat off the bench.
When they needed an option the most, Erik Spoelstra must have taken an assessment of the pasts and futures of his roster at the time. After concluding that assessment, he obviously assumed that Justise Winslow was the best man for the job.
Not only was he right in his decision, but considering Winslow’s past, it wasn’t that hard of choice to see succeeding. While he has been listed and operated out of the small forward slot since entering the NBA, he was at his best with Duke in college as one of the main ball handlers.
Winslow shined during the 2015 NCAA Tournament with his then Duke Blue Devils. He was a huge key to them eventually going on to cut down the nets as National Champions.
While he was arguably the best defender in the tournament, he really shined on offense as well. He didn’t necessarily do it the way that you would expect a small forward to do it though. Winslow’s superpower during that tournament can best be described as his ability to grab and go.
He would grab the rebound on the defensive end, handle it all the way to the other end, before slicing his way through the paint to the cup for the finish or to draw a foul. This display and skillset are why it shouldn’t have been a tough choice on who to go to in a pinch for Coach Spo on last season.
Winslow excelled so much that he should be looked at as the main ball handler for the Miami Heat moving forward. While he has things to improve on like every pro should look to do, like navigating and manipulating pick and roll situations in his particular case, Miami Heat faithful are excited about his continued development in the position. That leads us to his bold prediction.
Winslow will increase his core three averages by at least 50 percent in this upcoming season.
When you think of the “core three” averages as mentioned above, they are points per game, rebounds per game, and assists per game. Last season, these figures were 12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game for Winslow.
With this prediction, he will see his numbers jump to at least 18.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 6.45 assists per game in this upcoming season. With Dwyane Wade calling it quits, even if only for a short time we hope, that should open an opportunity for Goran Dragic to become the new sixth man and microwave off the bench.
With Winslow entrusted with this position, the minutes, and along with the experience garnered from last season, he should have no problem reaching these numbers. That is why this is his bold prediction for this season.