Has the rhythm arrived?
Winslow’s was locked in during 17-point effort Saturday against Grizzlies
MIAMI — He has found himself all over the Miami Heat’s rotation this season — starting small forward, starting power forward, backup point guard. Along the way, it’s almost as if Justise Winslow had lost himself.
That’s what made Saturday’s 17-point performance in a 115-89 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at AmericanAirlines Arena so significant.
“It’s been a lot. It’s been hard to find a rhythm, especially being in so many different units, different rotations, different positions,” Winslow said, as the Heat turned their attention to Tuesday’s meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers, the second game on this fivegame homestand. “But I’m versatile and sometimes I feel like that can be to a fault, because you’re just kind of plugged into different spots.
“But for me it’s just about going out there and doing whatever the team asks me to do, whether it’s being a power forward, being a backup point guard. And so my head was a little scrambled at times this year. But I’m just trying to lock in and focus on any way to help this team get to the playoffs.”
Against the Grizzlies, he was as locked in as he has been this season, shooting 7 of 12 from the field, 2 of 3 on 3-pointers, with seven rebounds and three steals, albeit against a team of second-tier talent for the tanking Grizzlies. Still, as a matter of perspective, Winslow had scored 17 points in his previous five appearances combined.
“It hasn’t been easy for him this year, what we’ve asked of him,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of the 21-year-old. “I can appreciate that. I can understand that. His role has changed probably more than anybody on that roster. He hasn’t made any excuses for it. I wouldn’t expect him to.
“Been a backup point guard, he’s been a backup three man, been a starting four, he’s been as starting three for us. He just wants to be out there and be able to help and contribute. I like it when he’s aggressive on the attack. His finishes were a lot better [Saturday] and he’s really been working it.”
That has been the rub this season, Winslow often more efficient from long range than point blank.
“I don’t know what to really pinpoint it on, but I’m finding a way to finish,” he said of that element of his game coming around.
“I mean, as a basketball player, you want to score points, you want to have 20, 30 points. But there’s time you look at the stat sheet and the average fan may not see it, but I feel like coaches and players around the league know that I can impact the game that doesn’t necessarily show on the stat sheet.”
A year ago, Winslow was a spectator to the Heat’s 30-11 run to the finish that left them a tiebreaker shy of the postseason, missing the second half of the season following shoulder surgery. This season, Winslow embraces again being an active participant in a playoff run.
“Yeah, it’s nice. Just having D-Wade back brings back a lot of that, that 2016 feeling, just playing for something,” he said of the Heat’s last postseason appearance, when, with Dwyane Wade on the roster before his free agency departure and then this return, the Heat advanced within a game of the Eastern Conference finals. “A lot of teams are throwing in the towel, but actually playing for something makes it a lot more meaningful.”
Winslow’s game took him closer to the rim during that playoff stretch, including starting at center at the end of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Toronto Raptors.
Now the eyes again are on the rim, at the rim, with the shots on Saturday not rimming out.
“When he’s playing like that, it’s really easier for us,” guard Goran Dragic said.
McGruder debut
Rodney McGruder made his 2017-18 season debut by scoring 16 points on 8-of-17 shooting, with five rebounds in 20 minutes in a G League victory Saturday by the Sioux Falls Skyforce over the South Bay Lakers in Los Angeles.
McGruder, who had been sidelined since preseason leg surgery, is scheduled for one more developmental-league appearance, on Monday against the Agua Caliente Clippers in Ontario, Calif., before possibly making his NBA season debut Tuesday against the 76ers.
McGruder was supported in Saturday’s 123-113 victory by a 30-point performance from Heat two-way player Derrick Jones Jr.