The Miami Heat are going to look different now.
Dwyane Wade surprisingly bolted for the Chicago Bulls after 13 seasons with the franchise. The Heat also lost Luol Deng and Joe Johnson in the offseason.
What that may mean, above all else, is more opportunities for second-year forward, Justise Winslow.
Here's what Pat Riley told The Palm Beach Post:
“So we lost (Deng) and we lost (Johnson), but the person that is going benefit the most from this to step up is Justise Winslow,” Heat president Pat Riley said last week. “He’s capable of starting in this league and that is right now who we have slotted in there, and I feel very comfortable with it.”
Winslow had a better rookie season than the numbers let on. He only averaged 6.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game, but his impact was much greater at times. He was forced to start a few games in the playoffs and was a part of a lot of Miami's best lineups.
Winslow only shot 27.6 percent from three, so defenders still don't respect his outside shot. He proved how talented he still is with his production, often as a small-ball four, despite not being a threat to let it fly from the outside.
Miami hopes that it can get Chris Bosh back for next season, but if not, they'll rely on the players they retained and rewarded with big contracts this summer. Starting alongside Winslow should be Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic for sure, and then Erik Spoelstra will have to pick two from the pot of Wayne Ellington, Josh McRoberts, Tyler Johnson, Derrick Williams, and Josh Richardson. As you can see, the roster is suddenly a lot lighter, and a lot more is going to be asked of Winslow.
Winslow is definitely going to have to shoot better to pick up some of the scoring that left. He's already pretty good at attacking off the dribble, cutting, and finishing. He can distribute and defend as well.
The Heat may struggle to make the playoffs next season unless they get a huge leap from Winslow. That's what Riley is banking on.
[button width=”full” button size=”bigger” color=”custom” align=”center” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthcolor=”#ffffff” bgcolor=”#8b0000″ link=”https://clutchpoints.com/pat-riley-nba-teams-able-pay-1-player-much-want/”]NEXT: Pat Riley: NBA teams should be able to pay 1 player as much as they want[/button]
Follow Us
Subscribe