How will the roles of Bam Adebayo and Justise Winslow evolve?
Immediately upon joining the Heat, both Justis Winslow and Bam Adebayo found ways to
establish themselves as the right role players at the right times. Justise confidently filled the void
that existed at the time for a player that could bolster Miami’s defensive prowess against virtually
any guard or forward.
This while Adebayo – albeit overlapping with Hassan Whiteside’s role at times – proved to the world that he could operate as a reliable insurance policy for Whiteside when necessary, averaging 5.5 rebounds per game and 0.7 blocks per game while only tallying 19.8 minutes per game. Building off their progress, the duo simultaneously found their ways onto 13 of the final 22 starting lineups of the season.
During that transition, Erik Spoelstra asked more out of the two than ever before, greatly expanding their roles and their styles of play. Adebayo was challenged to expand his play beyond the usual rim-running he knows so well.
The Kentucky alumnus proved that he can score from more spots on the floor now, going beyond
pick and rolls and put-backs in the paint to score more dynamically on his own. Adebayo even
improved his ability to distribute the ball to others, garnering 11 games with five or more assists.
As a result, 2018-2019 saw Bam emerge as the winningest starting center for the Heat last
season. When Adebayo started, the Heat went 16-11, whereas when Whiteside started the team
was 23-41.
In Winslow’s case, he not only began starting at point guard once Goran Dragic went out with a
knee injury, but he reminded the league that he is just as versatile of a player as he was back
when he started at Duke with Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones. This period allowed Winslow to
showcase more of his skills that he was initially touted for when heading into the 2015 NBA
Draft, including his passing, ball-handling, and rebounding. He even put together his best scoring
season yet, averaging 12.2 points per contest across 66 games.
Moving into the 2019-2020 season, there isn’t any certainty or consensus in the Heat organization around what role Justise Winslow will take on. Winslow recently claimed he wants
to play more point guard for the Heat.
Heading into a contract year, Dragic is expected to be healthy on October 23rd at home against the Memphis Grizzlies, and both he and Winslow have proven that they can coexist in a starting lineup. However, if Winslow can continue developing his game as a point guard, from both this offseason and throughout parts of 2019-2020, he could find himself permanently in the starting backcourt with first-round pick Tyler Herro if Dragic decides to leave for another team next summer.