One of the bigger surprises of the 2015 NBA Draft was the fall of Justise Winslow, and the Miami Heat couldn’t have been happier about it. Rumored to go as high as No. 5 overall, Mario Hezonja, Willie Cauley-Stein, Emmanuel Mudiay, Stanley Johnson and Frank Kaminsky were all called before Winslow after the Knicks selected Kristaps Porzingis at No. 4 overall.
Winslow has been the consummate winner throughout his career, winning at every level he’s ever played in, and it’s continuing in the Orlando Summer League, where the Heat have already racked up a perfect 3-0 record thus far. The event started July 4 and lasts until July 10.
The former Duke product is leading the way, averaging 15.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 30.4 minutes per game. The Heat defeated the Indiana Pacers on July 4 to kick off the slate, the took down the Brooklyn Nets the next day. After that, they followed up with a win over and the Detroit Pistons to keep the perfect streak alive. Other teams included in the Orlando Summer League are the host Magic (Blue and White), Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Checking out the Heat’s prized rookie and the rest of the roster hopefuls can be done with a few clicks on Hipmunk.com. Flights to and from Orlando are provided from most major airline carriers in addition to Orlando hotels starting at $55 per night for fans looking to take in multiple days of Summer League basketball.
Other players on the Heat Summer League roster include Juwan Howard, Jr., Shabazz Napier, Willie Reed, second-round pick Josh Richardson (Tennessee), Joshua Smith (Georgetown), Travis Trice (Michigan State), Seth Tuttle (Northern Iowa) and Greg Whittington (Georgetown).
Heat tickets may not flying off the shelves like the days with LeBron James on the team, but the Heat’s offseason has been as productive as any after they seemingly struck gold with Winslow. Miami also resigned their longstanding face of the franchise Dwyane Wade to a one-year, $20 million deal, locked up Goran Dragic to a max contract, and saw Luol Deng opt-in to his deal. Just as important as anything, Chris Bosh, arguably the team’s best player these days, is reportedly fully recovered and ready to roll after last season’s scary heart-related injury. With the Eastern Conference being the weaker of the two conferences, it’s hard to imaging the Heat not being in the running for a playoff spot during the upcoming season.
