Why Miami Heat’s Justise Winslow needs to remain a starter

The Miami Heat may have finally figured out their starting lineup moving forward. The key part was always right in front of their eyes. Justise Winslow has to start at the 4.

Justise Winslow is finally becoming the player he was supposed to be two years ago. I wouldn’t go as far as to say he is living up to the hype because in reality, he is not. He is still a work in progress. But regardless, he is improving and Miami Heat fans are thrilled to finally see that.

The former No. 10th pick has always had a great defensive mindset. That was clear during his days at Duke, the only issue was how to improve his game offensively and find the right fit on both ends of the court.

His first year as a rookie was a learning experience and transition to life in the NBA. His second year was plagued with injuries as he only played 18 games the whole season before undergoing surgery on a torn labrum. It seems like this year, he has finally found his niche.

With his fifth career start this year, and third at power forward, he is showing signs of a new style and it is working. It is based on instinct. While his role may not be definitive at the moment, considering the excessive lineup changes head coach Erik Spoelstra has tested, these last couple of games are starting to tell a different story.

In his five starts, Winslow’s production slightly down to 6.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on .324/.286/.800 shooting splits, so the raw numbers aren’t exactly pretty. His only standout game on the offensive end was a 14-point, six-rebound, five-assist performance against the lowly Phoenix Suns.

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He needs to capitalize on the moments he gets. By now being named starter, hopefully for the foreseeable future, he will have to ease his way into this new role and liberate better rotation opportunities for the second unit. With the NBA now being a faster small-ball league, Miami does not need a traditional tall bulky power forward to fill that spot. A combo of Hassan Whiteside and an aggressive Winslow fills that void nicely.

Winslow at the 4 allows them to play small-ball while switching screens. Defensively, the combined athleticism and speediness between Whiteside and Winslow works. The upside to all this is the flexibility it gives the second unit by keeping Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson there to lead by example. The bench will have more firepower and boost, especially with the two Johnsons both coming in together.

With Winslow in the starting lineup, the Heat’s record is 3-2 (2-1 with him at power forward). They’ve limited teams to under 100 points in two of those games, maintaining an average of 26 points allowed in the first quarter compared to the 30+ they had previously given up. Defensively, this lineup is thriving.

While their record doesn’t necessarily scream playoffs or contenders, they are improving game by game and remember, this is a work in progress; it’s just a matter of extreme patience for this to fully work.

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With this experiment in full effect, expect the lineup changes to stop while they move forward with their starters locked in for now. Winslow will be a difference-maker. All he needs is time to acclimate to his new role.