LOS ANGELES _ This is the saving grace of drafting a 19-year-old, that even when he misses almost all of his second NBA season, you still are left with the possibilities of a 21-year-old going forward.
While clocks already are ticking on Justise Winslow, including the decision the Miami Heat will face before next season of whether to lock in his $3.5 million rookie-scale salary for 2018-19, any rushes to judgment are at minimum premature and at worst foolhardy.
In the wake of Thursday's shoulder surgery, the final numbers for 2016-17, barring a miraculous comeback, will stand at .354 from the field and 7 of 35 on 3-pointers. No, not nearly good enough for an NBA wing, especially in the current scoring-on-the-rise NBA.
But, again, this is a three-tool player (rebounding, playmaking, defending) who just two years ago was helping to shoot Duke to a national championship.
While the No. 10 pick of a draft can land you a C.J. McCollum, Paul George or Brook Lopez, it also has in recent years delivered to the NBA the likes of Elfrid Payton, Jimmer Fredette, Austin Rivers, Spencer Hawes, Andrew Bynum and, yes, Mouhamed Saer Sene.
You can always go through the exercise of re-drafting, pointing to Myles Turner at No. 11 and Devin Booker at No. 13 in 2015. But that year's draft also produced Mario Hezonja at No. 5, Willie Cauley-Stein at No. 6.
What the Heat wanted to see, needed to see, this season was the chemistry of Winslow with Hassan Whiteside, Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson and even Goran Dragic. Because decisions are coming. And will have to be made.
Without a reliable jump shot, Winslow's upside could be Tony Allen, as in 13-year-NBA-career Tony Allen. Yes, his percentages have been higher than Winslow, but the respect for the jumper just as lacking.
The initial hope was of Winslow morphing into something closer to Kawhi Leonard, a No. 15 pick. That, even at this young age, would appear the ultimate stretch.
With his versatility, Winslow could potentially morph into the ultimate utility player, a career already defined by time at shooting guard, small forward, power forward, playoff center and even as a primary facilitator.
When you commit $98 million over four years to Hassan Whiteside, you commit to building around Whiteside. When you're still working with Justise Winslow on his rookie scale, you can be more patient and open to the possibilities.
When he reports to training camp in September, Winslow will be 21, the same age as when Dwyane Wade arrived to the Heat. There were concerns about Wade's jumper at that age, as well. Then he met a young assistant coach by the name of Erik Spoelstra. Somehow, from that starting point, they made it work.
If the discussion continues to focus on who and what Winslow is not, then it is a conversation doomed to failure.
But the shoulder injury provides a natural reset, especially since it is not connected to his shooting hand.
Justise Winslow still can be part of something positive for the Heat, as difficult as these past two months have been.
