Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Justise Winslow
Does the forward have a shot at joining the Heat elite?
ORLANDO – At the moment, everything matters for Justise Winslow. And nothing matters.
That’s because it’s still the preseason.
On one hand, no one has been putting in more time on the Miami Heat practice court with shooting consultant Rob Fodor.
On the other hand, the exhibition season hardly offers a read on whether opponents will honor Winslow’s shot, afford the Heat the spacing preferred in their ball-movement approach.
Unlike the regular season, when the scouting reports not only are detailed, but also drilled, the defensive approach by opponents during the preseason is more about their base defense. So if you go over the top on certain screens, you go over the top on Winslow. If you close out hard to run a corner shooter off a 3-pointer, you run out hard on Winslow. For the most part, in the preseason, an opponent is merely Player X.
But the regular season is different. And if opponents sag on the pick-and-roll, ignore an open Winslow in the corner, then everything with the Heat offense changes, bogs down.
And that is the most important aspect of spacing. It’s not if the player can convert the 3-pointer, it’s if the opposition respects the threat.
Even before pace-andspace became the thing, the NBA was weaning its way off the four-tool player, the otherwise-standout — pass, rebound, defend, hustle — who could not score from distance. We’ve seen it with Rajon Rondo. We’re seeing it with Tony Allen.
When asked about the elephant in the room, Winslow offered a measured, confident response.
“The way I see it,” he said, “in the basketball world, or just in general, God doesn’t give everyone everything. But you can definitely work toward it. He doesn’t give everyone everything. I don’t have everything. I don’t have part of my tooth, so we’re all missing things, we all are flawed.
“And in the sense of basketball, once that thing gets figured out, there’s not much you could say I can’t do. I can bring the ball up. I can guard your best player. I can rebound. I can find my open shooters. I can push it on the break. So once that minor detail gets settled out, I think we’re going to have a very fun ride.”
Only it’s not a minor detail. In today’s NBA, it’s practically a requirement (even centers have to show something at least from the elbow).
For now, Winslow is controlling what he can control, down at least 10 pounds from last season’s 230, even with the shift to power forward at times.
“It fluctuates,” he said. “A lot of it is water weight, so sometimes it can be different, but right now I’m kind of low 220s. I’m trying to crack the teens.”
That, too, was part of a recommitment after being sidelined in January by shoulder surgery.
“’When I was hurt, I indulged in all the junk foods I could,” he said. “About around when the Finals ended [in June], I just cut it all.
“I’ve noticed changes. I feel lighter, faster, more explosive.”
Based on the effort in shooting drills, the amount of exercise is not in question.
“I call him the Little Slim Dude,” swingman Josh Richardson said. “He’s looking good. His confidence is up. I’ve been shooting with him after practice some. He’s been shooting well. I’m excited.”
Yet, still, that elephant follows Little Slim Dude.
“I don’t want that to define him,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I know the improvement that he’s made. I’ve seen him in the gym and you can see the confidence that he has in it. That’s not what defines him as a basketball player. He’s a winning player, a guy who makes winning plays, a guy who makes everyone better. He’s a true — this term gets thrown around a lot, but he’s a true two-way basketball player and that’s what I want him focusing on.”
Only in today’s NBA, it’s not that simple. To have a shot at being something special, you have to have a shot.