Lineup again will be minus ailing Winslow
MIAMI — Justise Winslow’s absence from the Miami Heat remains an ongoing occurrence as he has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Coach Erik Spoelstra said after Tuesday’s practice that there was no update to offer but that one could be forthcoming soon.
“I don’t have a new update for you,” he said. “But I will soon. I don’t have one right now.”
Of Wednesday’s status, Spoelstra said of Winslow, “He’ll be out.” With that simple statement, he moved on to the next question.
Winslow missed 15 consecutive games with a lower-back bone bruise before returning to play 16 minutes in last Wednesday night’s victory over the Indiana Pacers. He then was held out of the final two games of that three-game trip, losses to the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks.
The 2015 first-round pick out of Duke returned to South Florida on Saturday to meet with a back specialist. The Heat declined to offer details of that consultation.
Winslow reported in the wake of his return against the Pacers that he felt “a little bit” of discomfort, but he had been optimistic about remaining in the rotation.
The Heat have not made Winslow available for comment since.
Winslow has appeared in just 11 games this season, having previously missed nine games in the NBA’s concussion protocol and two due to lower-back stiffness. He is averaging 11.3 points on 38.8% shooting.
Silva’s time
Chris Silva was back at practice Tuesday and no longer will be forced to sit out such sessions to save the remaining days on a two-way contract, now that a standard contract has been drafted for the rookie forward.
“I’m excited,” Silva said. “I’m really excited that I get to work more and learn more and [will be] having more opportunities.”
Silva had been held out of most practices because of the 45-day time limit he could spend with the Heat on the two-way deal. It is the latest step in a whirlwind after going undrafted out of South Carolina in June.
“It was a long, long, long summer,” he said of work that began with the Heat in late June and continued through summer league.
“It was a grind from being disappointed in not being drafted, to being called, to not knowing what’s going to be next, to discussing with my agent my next step, to finally coming here for summer league.”
Silva said the upgraded contract would not change him.
“Every step, I just focus on the present, today,” he said. “And that’s what helped me get to this day.”
Focus sought
Spoelstra said Tuesday’s session was about getting back to basics amid his team’s first losing streak of the season.
“We just have to get better,” he said of coming off the road losses to the Nets and Knicks. “Everybody’s trying to get better.
“We’re trying to get more consistent. Our defense isn’t where we want it to be — yet. And that’s the operative word: yet.
“And today was just about solutions, working on some things, watching some film and [trying to] push our group to get to a different level.”
Spoelstra said about lineup or changes.
“Everybody has to do his job just a little bit better,” he said. “We’ve proven we can do it. We have the personnel that can do it. We just have to be more consistent with it. It’s just about solutions. Less talk. Get to work and improve it.” it is not rotation