MIAMI — Gearing down after his final preseason tuneup, Justise Winslow scans the Miami Heat locker room as his eyes and mind marry the franchise's present to its past.
There's Beno Udrih squatting at Dwyane Wade's old locker, a space the 34-year-old won't hold through the weekend roster cuts. Wayne Ellington discusses his quad contusion in front of Luol Deng's former dwelling. James Johnson gets dressed where Joe Johnson did five months ago. Chris Bosh's locker, just to the right of Winslow's, sits empty as it has throughout the exhibition season.
"With those guys gone," Winslow tells Bleacher Report, "I think other than maybe Goran [Dragic], Hassan [Whiteside], UD [Udonis Haslem], I think I have the most minutes as a Heat player overall."
The 20-year-old sophomore is right. Roughly 17 months removed from being the 10th overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft, Winslow is already the fourth-longest-tenured player on the roster.
And the one tasked with putting this organization back on the basketball map.
"Guys have been telling me it's my turn to step up and grow and fill that void," ...
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Article written by Zach Buckley
Justise Winslow’s Time Has Come Faster Than Anyone Could Have Predicted
October 26th, 2016 by Zach Buckley Leave a reply »
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