On the ball or off the ball, Heat’s Justise Winslow has high expectations for himself
Justise Winslow wants to play with the ball in his hands. That’s clear.
All indications are that Winslow will get that opportunity, at least for certain stretches during games.
But what isn’t clear is what position Winslow will be used in, and if the position even matters.
Starting point guard? Backup point guard? Combo guard? Starting forward? Backup forward? All of those options are on the table, and Winslow will probably be used in each of these roles at some point during the season.
“Starting point guard,” Winslow said Monday during a break from taking photos at the team’s annual media day, when asked what he envisions as the perfect role for himself. “Playmaking. Second-Team All-Defense. Most Improved. All-Star. Whatever that picture looks like on the court.”
Then Winslow took a step back before continuing his answer, realizing the reality of a roster that features multiple rotation players who can run the Heat’s offense, whether it’s incumbent starting point guard Goran Dragic, a rejuvenated Dion Waiters, four-time All-Star win Jimmy Butler or even the versatile James Johnson.
“But I’m going to be doing everything,” Winslow continued. “Whether I’m bringing the ball up or not, I’m going to be making plays for my teammates. I’m going to rebound. I’m going to defend. It’s just different because we really truly are kind of positionless and you got to be able to play with everyone. So yes, I will play point guard. But I will not have the ball in my hands the entire game. I’m going to have to be off the ball.”
But Winslow prefers to be used in an on-ball role for most of his minutes on the court after flourishing as the Heat’s starting point guard last season while Dragic was injured. Winslow, 23, declared earlier this month that he wants to play as a point guard even with Dragic entering the season healthy.
During a 31-game span while filling in for an injured Dragic last season, Winslow averaged 13.1 points on 43.3 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from three-point range, 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals to go with a plus-minus of plus-51.
Coach Erik Spoelstra downplayed the point guard conversation surrounding Winslow, who has a versatile skill set the Heat has used at different positions over the first four seasons of his NBA career.
“He has an ability to impact winning, put his fingerprints on winning in a lot of different facets,” Spoelstra said. “That’s not just with the statistics or the box scores, but it’s with his voice, with his leadership, with his command of the game on both sides of the floor. He really truly has to be a great two-way basketball player for us. If he wants to make it an individual goal of being one of the top defensive players in this league, I’m all for it.
“We started this years ago that we play a positionless style of basketball. This is the league, so catch up. All-Star ballots are not by position. It’s by frontcourt, backcourt. ... It’s impact on both sides of the floor. Will Justise have the ball in his hands? Yes. Will the ball be in other players’ hands? Quite a bit. It will be positionless. But you better believe Goran Dragic is going to have a big impact on the ball because that’s what he does best and that’s where he’s been an All-Star.”
Whatever position Winslow is playing, he has made it known he doesn’t want to be used as a secondary offensive option this season. He wants the ball in his hands as a primary faciliator.
“I don’t really care. ... As long as I’m doing what I want to do. The position, it doesn’t really matter,” Winslow said. “I’ll play the four if that means I’m bringing the ball up and making plays, if that’s what you call a four. So it doesn’t really matter the position. It’s more how I’m being used on the court.
“I just know what I’m capable of doing with the ball in my hands and making plays for others. That’s why I want the ball. It’s not because I want to score 30, 40 points. Every basketball player does, but I like getting other guys involved.”
Winslow hopes to be a starter this season and added “I feel like I’m going to.” But he’s also open to coming off the bench if it means playing in an on-ball role.
There’s also the possibility that Dragic and Winslow could start games together this season. The Dragic-Winslow duo has been productive in the past, with the Heat outscoring teams by 23 points in 275 minutes together last season.
Winslow welcomes playing alongside Dragic.
“I don’t know what the news outlets are saying about me and Goran, but we’re super close,” Winslow said. “That’s my brother. Every day I see him, we enjoy each other. We work out together. This isn’t a thing where I want to paint myself against Goran. At the end of the day, we’re on the same team and we played together plenty of times before. So we just have to figure it out, go through training camp. But I love Goran.”
How does Dragic feel about Winslow publicly expressing his desire to be the Heat’s point guard?
“I didn’t see the comments. I heard it from you guys,” Dragic said. “But for me, that’s not a big deal at all. This is his fourth, fifth year. I know as a person how he is. He just wants to win. As long as coach is going to make a decision how we are going to play, where we are going to play, that’s all that matters to me. Whatever the team needs, I’m going to do it.”
This story was originally published October 2, 2019 at 2:35 PM.
