Justise Winslow looking to become leader of the Heat

Miami Heat second-year player Justise Winslow is looking to become a leader of the new-look team now that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have left the team.

Second-year forward Justise Winslow is looking forward to a brand new role in the Miami Heat starting rotation.

With the departure of Dwyane Wade and the seemingly stale situation between the front office and Chris Bosh, the Duke product looks to earn a leadership role with the team.

“That's what I want,” Winslow told the Associated Press on Wednesday. “That's what I've been working for my whole life, to make it to the NBA – not only that, but to be a star and have my own team one day. This is the next step in me progressing and getting there, expanding my role and growing as a leader. And I accept whatever the coaching staff throws at me.”

While it may be quite the leap for a player that started last season coming off the bench and only started coming into his own towards the end of the season, Winslow has the package to become a leader.

Firstly, he's an effort guy — teammates respect that because it is a team trait, not an individual one. He's also still very raw as a player but does a lot of things well. He plays hard on defense, defends different positions, communicates well and is fearless on the offensive end. It won't be long before he hones his arsenal and becomes multi-dimensional.

One of the staples of the Heat has taken notice of Winslow's willingness to improve and eagerness to evolve into a larger role.

“He's going to play a little bit of everything,” said 36-year-old Heat forward Udonis Haslem. “Just be Justise Winslow. Be that Swiss Army knife we need. One night it might be 10 rebounds. Another night it might be seven assists. Another night it might be 15 to 20 points. Just be Justise Winslow. He has the ability to do all those things and he has a high-enough basketball IQ where he knows when he needs to be aggressive, make plays and do other things.”

Winslow is the youngest in the roster at 20 years old but he's coachable and an extremely hard worker — things that keeps his coach believing in him.

“He doesn't have to listen to anybody else's expectations,” said head coach Erik Spoelstra. “There's so many things out there about who he needs to be or what position he needs to play, how many more points a game he has to score this year. He's going to get more minutes, more responsibilities. I want him to embrace that in a healthy way and not try to live up to anything coming from the outside.”