Early Impressions of Justise Winslow at 2015 NBA Summer League

Justise Winslow hasn't set the 2015 NBA Summer League on fire, but the 19-year-old's composure, two-way versatility and athleticism have shown why many felt he was one of the draft's biggest steals.

The Miami Heat have deployed the 10th overall selection at every position but center, which has allowed him to showcase the impressive depth of his skill set.

He can attack with both patience and aggression. He can score and pass out of the post. He's an energizer in transition and the half-court game. And he can defend virtually every spot on the floor.

"I've seen him pick up quite a bit on both sides of the floor," Heat assistant and summer league coach Dan Craig said, per Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. "He's somebody that you only need to tell something to once and it registers. He's fast-tracking himself offensively and defensively, just hearing and seeing things the first time and not needing it hammered over and over again."

Winslow has done nothing to lower his towering ceiling. But, as is the case with all rookies, he needs plenty of polish to reach that potential.

Offense

Controlling aggression can be one of the hardest skills for an attacker like Winslow to master.

If he's not assertively pouncing on the opportunities he gets, his still-developing shooting stroke and not-quite-there-yet handles can limit his offensive impact. But pressing too hard on the gas pedal can lead to forced shots and costly giveaways.

Even in this infancy stage of his career, he's been able to force the issue without losing control. There's a calmness to his game, which appears even more striking amid summer league's hurried (and often chaotic) style of play.

He reads defenses like a fortune-teller, and if he can sniff out a driving lane, he'll take it. He's even shown the ability to open some up that the defense thought it had closed off. 

Try to find the wiggle room on this play.

Winslow is getting a ball screen to shed his defender, but the screener's defender is coming to take away Winslow's driving lane to the left. There's a second help defender on that side, so Winslow can only extend his penetration so far. And even if he slips past the defense's initial line, there are still two bigs with plenty of time to cover the rim.

The screen takes Winslow's man out of the play, but the second defender hedges to guard against Winslow's left (dominant) hand. He dribbles twice to the left, but he exaggerates the second bounce with a hesitation. That pulls his new defender far enough to the side for Winslow to split between the screen and the hedge.

At this point, Winslow activates the burners and races toward the rim before the bigs can get set. By the time help arrives, all Detroit's defense can do is send Winslow to the foul line.

Before various ailments curtailed Winslow's minutes (first a sprained ankle, then general soreness), he booked regular trips to the charity stripe.

Over his first three games, he attempted 30 free throws and made 21. That's how he was able to average 15.3 points during that stretch despite shooting 36.4 percent from the field and 1-of-8 from long range.

That knack for finding freebies will be big for his offensive success, since his jumper clearly needs time to come around. But even more encouraging than his activity at the foul line has been his willingness and ability to create scoring chances for his teammates, as Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman observed:

Winslow's passing game has impressed far more than his assist numbers would suggest (1.5 per game).

It's one thing to spot an uncovered teammate and feed him the basketball. It's quite another to open a passing window that wouldn't otherwise exist by commanding defensive attention, then punishing the opposition for bringing help.

When the real season starts, Winslow won't get nearly as many playmaking chances. If the Heat stay healthy, their offense is already in good hands with Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic and Chris Bosh.

But having this weapon in the arsenal will only help Winslow, and he'll find ways to utilize it. 

"It's something I try to do, trying to handle the ball," Winslow said, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. "Guys want the ball in my hand a good amount when I'm out there. It's hard to stop. When I get a defensive rebound I can push it."

Defense

As enticing as Winslow's offensive toolbox is, he punched his NBA ticket at the defensive end. It's no surprise, then, that that's where he's left the biggest impression in summer league.

After watching the Golden State Warriors' top-rated defense seamlessly switch its way to a title, it's hard not to be blown away by the variety of assignments Winslow has handled.

"Listed at 6'6", 220 pounds, he'll enter the league with an NBA body that can match up with guards, wings and small-ball 4s," wrote Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman. "Winslow ultimately has tremendous lateral quickness for the perimeter and strength to hold his own on the interior."

Winslow doesn't wow from a length standpoint—he measured 6'4 ½" with a 6'10 ¼" wingspan at the combine—but his chiseled 222-pound frame hints at his impressive strength.

He didn't make many defensive highlight reel plays in summer league (four steals, zero blocks through six games), but one in particular showcased both his intensity and raw power.

While recovering back to a dribble drive, Winslow stopped all of his opponent's momentum, ripped the ball out of his hands and sparked a fast-break bucket for Miami.

Winslow can also play an important role on the defensive glass.

Because he spent so much time tracking perimeter players, he didn't have many chances to display that strength in summer league. But during his lone season at Duke, he corralled 6.5 boards in only 29.1 minutes per game.

There are flashier parts of his arsenal, but his immediate calling card is defense. It can be difficult to get some young players to embrace the less glamorous side of the ball, but the Heat won't have that problem.

That has to be music to Miami's ears, since this team finished the 2014-15 campaign ranked 19th in defensive efficiency.

Winslow should play a significant role from opening night as a defensive Swiss Army knife. The Heat don't always give major minutes to their freshmen, but Winslow's composure should make him an exception to that rule.

"I almost forget sometimes that he's only 19," Tyler Johnson said, via Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. "Some of the things that he's shown, he seems very mature. He doesn't seem like somebody coming in wide-eyed. He seems like somebody who can step in and be ready to play."

How much Winslow plays could hinge on how quickly his outside shot comes along. Wade has never been a long-range sniper, and Dragic is closer to good than great (career 36.1 three-point percentage), so Winslow has to prove he won't shrink this offense's spacing.

But Winslow's summer-league run showed the impact he can make as a versatile two-way player and instant-energy supplier. His basement seems secure as a reliable reserve, and his ceiling looks tantalizingly high if he can tighten his handles and sharpen his shooting stroke.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of NBA.com.

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