The Miami Heat don’t have a player the team can call as the face of its franchise. In recent years, that was Dwyane Wade, but the three-time NBA champion is seemingly in the twilight of his basketball career. Heat President Pat Riley did not call forward Justise Winslow as the player who would inherit that role from Wade, but he did refer to the former Duke Blue Devils star as among the key pieces of the team, per Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald.
Riley said #Heat looks at Justise Winslow as an “anchor” in the franchise.
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) July 27, 2018
Winslow has not consistently played like a lottery pick for the Heat since he was selected 10th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. In three seasons so far in the NBA, he has averages of 7.5 points, 2.0 assist, and 5.3 rebounds per game.
It’s also a bit ironic for Pat Riley to label Winslow that way, considering that the Heat put the forward on the trade block during last month’s draft day in Brooklyn, according to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated.
Justise Winslow is a multi-tooled swingman, who has the size to defend bulkier players and the quickness to keep in step with the speedier ones. He’s a fantastic asset on defense, as evidenced by the fact that opponents scored 3.8 points fewer per 100 possessions when he’s on the court than when he’s on the bench. However, his offense remains in need of work. He has a career 41.0 percent field goal shooting percentage. His 31.4 percent shooting from distance makes his label of a “3-and-D” guy sound like an overstatement. Nevertheless, Winslow is just 22 and still has plenty of room, and time, for improvement.
Winslow and the Heat will look to work out an extension deal this offseason, as the player is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.
Follow Us
Subscribe