With injuries piling up, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will be looking to use forward Justise Winslow at the point.
The Heat have some experience dealing with injuries the last couple of years. With point guard Goran Dragic set to miss two months following knee surgery, Spoelstra knows he's going to need to get creative to make things work.
According to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, part of that “creativity” includes playing Justise Winslow as the team's primary playmaker.
When asked how the Heat will deal with the PG position in Dragic's absence, Spoelstra said: “We’ve had some experience doing it already this year, unfortunately. But when Justise is able to go, I’m slotting him in that position.”
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) December 20, 2018
Winslow is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Houston Rockets due to an ankle injury. The 6'7″ forward has played very little at the point position as a professional, not to mention that Winslow has career averages of 2.2 assists per game.
However, with Dragic out, the Heat are extremely thin at the point. Tyler Johnson is available despite a migraine issue, and he's averaging 11.0 points per game this year — almost entirely off the bench.
The Heat also have Dwyane Wade, but he hasn't played much at point guard in recent years. In his final NBA season, the 37-year-old has come off the bench in 21 games to average 14.7 points and 3.8 assists on 41.9 percent shooting.
Miami enters play on Thursday night with a 13-16 record, good for 10th place in the Eastern Conference. They were 44-38 last year but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the surging Philadelphia 76ers. Despite their poor record, the Heat are just a half-game behind the Orlando Magic for the final playoff spot in the East.
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