Big finish by Butler-less Miami Heat leads to win; 3 takeaways

1. Winslow shines the brightest

With the title of starting point guard next to his name entering the season, Justise Winslow is fully aware it’s now his time to impact the league. And on opening night, the former Duke star delivered one of the best all around performances of his career, now in its fifth year.

Playing a game-high 37 minutes, Winslow posted 27 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a block, concentrating not only setting up his teammates, but being aggressive on his own accord, as evidenced by his career-high tying 21 field goal attempts.

Given the aforementioned absence of Jimmy Butler, such a performance was vital, not only to open up the season with a win, but to establish a pattern as the season progresses. Most of all, at 6’6″ and 220 pounds, Winslow is likely to have a physical advantage over most opposing point guards, with Grizzlies’ debutante Ja Morant no exception.

In addition to his improved long range shooting, Winslow’s ability to finish in traffic and at the rim has gone up a level, finishing the night 8-of-11 within five of the rim. With starting center Bam Adebayo playing just 24 minutes, the next evolution of Winslow as a playmaker will be how he works with both Adebayo and Butler over the course of the season.

As the trio likely to lead the team in minutes played, this dynamic is crucial for the success of the team.

With the next game not until Saturday in Milwaukee, Justise Winslow and the Miami Heat could not have asked for a better start to the 2019-20 season.