Everyone knows what it feels like to start something new.
Often times, there’s excitement and uncertainty. In some cases, you might also experience some nervousness. As a rookie in Training Camp, that can sometimes be the case since there is a lot of information coming at you.
In terms of Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson, it seems like they have taken things in stride. Look no further than Day 3 of Training Camp when Coach Spoelstra did something out of the ordinary with the two rookies.
“It doesn’t happen too often, but I put the two young guys on the same team today and they’re very good defensively,” Spoelstra said. “They got after it. They made the veterans work for it. They have a great versatility and energy between the two of them. I was very encouraged by what they brought today. [They were] very competitive in the defensive drills.”
To understand why Winslow and Richardson faired well, you have to remember that both came from strong basketball programs. Winslow of course won a National Championship in his lone season at Duke, while Richardson played four years at Tennessee. Coming out of college, the two were touted for their strong defensive play. That’s something that Dwyane Wade saw up close and personal on Thursday.
“They enjoy playing defense. That’s half the battle. They’re both two different defenders. Justise is stronger [and] he’s hard to move. Josh is quick, he’s athletic, long,” Wade said. “It’s good to see two young guys like that, with Tyler [Johnson] as well, they were all on the same team. You’ve got three guys who are like that, that like to be on the ball, ball hawk you [and] make it hard on you.”
While their defensive habits were developed in college, perhaps Summer League helped Winslow and Richardson get up to speed with the NBA game. Winslow showed what he could do in Orlando by remaining in attack mode offensively and looking sharp on the defensive end. Richardson, meanwhile, took over the reigns and turned heads in Vegas while Winslow nursed some injuries.
“I think it was great just to be able to first of all play with an NBA ball. It’s a lot different than college, but just kind of get used to the NBA game,” Richardson said. “It’s a lot different than anything you’ve ever experienced, so I think it was just good for me to be able to start playing at that speed.”
Getting acclimated to the speed of the game is usually the first priority for a rookie or young player. Another thing that comes to mind is communication. That is exactly what Winslow pointed to about Thursday’s practice.
“When we get tired, sometimes communication can go down, but today we did a good job of keeping it up through the mistakes [by] just talking it out and trying to figure it out with communication,” Winslow said.
Above all else, what stands out most about Winslow and Richardson is that they’re mature beyond their years. Both have that ambition and will to do whatever it takes to succeed at the next level. For Winslow, it’s all about learning.
“I want to learn a lot. Whether it’s somebody off to the side, a teammate or coach, being able to listen and just apply it,” Winslow said.
For Richardson, it’s about finding a guy in the locker room that he can look to for advice.
“Luol Deng has been helping me a lot,” Richardson said. “Just in basketball and life in general, he said he’s going to try and take me under his wing a little bit to help me through the process.”