Section 215
Fansided

Opening Weekend Recap of Top NBA Draft Prospects

By Somers Price

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5.) Justise Winslow-F, Duke; Freshman. 9.5 ppg, 8-14 FGM-A, 11.5 rpg, 6.0 apg, 2.0 bpg, 2.0 spg in two games

Hard to imagine that, in a game in which he scored 26 points while shooting 75% from the field, Jahlil Okafor could be the second-most impressive player on his own team. Though there is certainly a debate over it, I know I came away from Duke’s 68-49 breeze past San Diego State feeling that way about freshman forward Justise Winslow. Against an Aztec team with a collection of long, athletic players, Winslow managed to dictate the tempo and pace of the game from the opening tip.

Along with Okafor and Tyus Jones, Winslow rounded out a trio of freshman stars hoping to erase the recent history of Duke’s postseason struggles. Though not as consistently as Okafor and Jones, Winslow has been vital in the Blue Devils securing a one-seed this season. With just eight scholarship players on the roster, is potentially just as valuable as either of his freshman teammates. At 6’7″, 229 pounds, the bouncy wing from Houston serves as Duke’s Swiss Army Knife on both ends of the court.

Winslow’s strength and athleticism allows him to guard up to four different positions on the floor for Duke. Towards the later parts of the season, coach Mike Krzyzewski moved Winslow from the starting three to starting four in place of senior Amile Jefferson. Having Winslow along with Matt Jones on the floor for Duke has helped balance the scoring dependance on offense and create more space for Okafor to operate in the low post. Winslow is also a tremendous rebounder and has chipped in his share of highlight reel dunks, blocks, and steals this season.

As was the case for most of the weekend, Winslow is tough to not gravitate towards while watching Duke play. Though he has had stretches of the season where he is less engaged, an area of mild concern projecting forward, there aren’t too many players more entertaining to watch do their best to try to impact every single play of the game. Given his size, strength, and skill-set; Winslow has the capability of doing so when he wants to.

The following video, courtesy of DukeBluePlanet.com, highlights the top-five plays by Duke in its resounding win over San Diego State. Winslow plays a key part in four of the five and manages to show off almost his entire range of skills.

As a wing prospect, Winslow is a much more appealing option than Johnson as it pertains to the 76ers. He is a versatile enough athlete to play consistently on the perimeter and avoid clogging up the frontcourt. Ultimately, I think Johsnon will develop into the type of player who becomes a second, perhaps third scoring option for whatever team drafts him. When it comes to Winslow, scoring is hardly the area of his game that has him as a solidified lottery pick should he declare for the 2015 draft.

In recent discussions I’ve had with people about Winslow, I’ve described him as a potentially better-timed Andre Iguodala (if he were to land with the Sixers). While Iguodala was drafted with the hopes that he could become a primary scoring option, Winslow would be landing with a Sixers team already with multiple players with the expectation of carrying the load offensively. Winslow would continue to boost the team’s overall athleticism while providing a potential lockdown wing defender for the future, something that appears to be lacking at the given moment.

Having watched almost every game of the tournament, there have probably been more impressive individual showings than Winslow’s against a rather underwhelming San Diego State team. Whether or not there’s been a performance as enjoyable to watch and could be used as its own NBA Draft highlight reel might be a different story. Duke travels to Houston for this weekend’s Regional semi-finals and possibly finals. Winslow is a Houston native and hopefully has something special in store to show the hometown crowd.

It might be a pipe dream for the Sixers to be able to land Winslow with whatever second pick they end up with in the first round (if that even happens). I’ve learned very much not to doubt what Sam Hinkie is capable of in terms of manipulating the draft and, therefore, have no qualms holding out hopes that he might be able to bring Winslow to Philadelphia.

Next: NC State Holds on To Upset Villanova

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