Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Richardson and Winslow showing signs of growth
MIAMI — The overwhelming takeaway from this first-round series is the maturity beyond their years of the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Closer to home for the Miami Heat has been the emergence of Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow.
At this stage, down 3-1, it might be the Heat’s ultimate takeaway from the best-of-seven matchup.
Richardson ended Saturday’s 106-102 loss at the AmericanAirlines Arena with seven steals, tying the franchise postseason record. Winslow again provided a gritty defensive effort.
“Proud of those guys,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. “Justise is doing whatever it takes. This is the moment you want Justise to do well on your team, this is the moment you want him. He’s a guy that has no ego. He’s going to play his heart out.
“I think Josh, he’s definitely grown a lot and he still has so much room to grow. But he shows flashes of greatness, he shows flashes of doing things not a lot of people in this game can do. And we just want to continue to build on that.”
Both were selected in the 2015 draft.
“In their third year, in their second year in the playoffs,” Wade said, “I like the way they’ve approached it and just want them to continue to keep growing and continue to keep getting better.
“The sky’s the limit. Don’t ever think you can’t do something. A lot of guys here are getting opportunities and they’re showing it. We got two of them here.” Covington Dragic Johnson said. “Who knows if that was to ignite their guys or energize their guys in a positive way? Who knows why he did it in the context of the game? It happened. You move on.”