Duke's Winslow could be option for Sixers at 5th or 6th pick
CHICAGO - Seven games into his Duke career, Justise Winslow was dubbed a "well-rounded James Harden" by USA Today. Five months later, the small forward still isn't sure why he is compared to the Houston Rockets shooting guard.
CHICAGO - Seven games into his Duke career, Justise Winslow was dubbed a "well-rounded James Harden" by USA Today.
Five months later, the small forward still isn't sure why he is compared to the Houston Rockets shooting guard.
"Maybe being lefthanded, living in Houston, being surrounded by the Rockets, maybe that," Winslow said Friday at the NBA draft combine. "But I try to pick up different things. I like James Harden, his game. But I'm just trying to be the best that I can be.
"Whether it's grabbing something from [Los Angeles Clippers point guard] Chris Paul or [Miami Heat shooting guard] Dwyane Wade, posting up, grabbing different things and different tidbits from different guys - that's what I try to do."
He hopes he'll have a career as successful as those perennial NBA all-stars.
The 76ers were among the teams that interviewed Winslow last week at the combine. One pre-lottery mock draft (CBSSports.com) has the Sixers taking him with the third overall pick. He would appear to be a reach that high in the draft.
But the Sixers' first-round selection ultimately will depend on where they are picking. They have a 15.6 percent chance of winning the draft lottery Tuesday after finishing with the league's third-worst record at 18-64. In the worst-case scenario, they would slide into sixth. Winslow might be a solid option for them at the fifth or sixth spot, assuming that D'Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, and Emmanuel Mudiay are all off the board.
In December, Winslow wasn't an obvious candidate to turn professional after one season of college basketball. However, he made steady improvement and averaged 14.3 points and 9.3 rebounds during Duke's six-game run the NCAA tournament. He shot 50.9 percent from the field and converted 57.1 percent on three-pointers during that stretch to help lead the Blue Devils to the national championship.
"It was a lot that came into my decision," Winslow said. "I had goals when I came to Duke, and just based off the year I had, my dream of going into the league coming off a fresh national championship, I thought it was the best thing for me."
The 19-year-old has a tremendous basketball body with 5.3 percent body fat on his 221-pound frame. He can also score in a variety of ways. His actual height is one of his shortcomings; Winslow is listed as 6-foot-6 but measured in at 6-41/2 without his shoes.
He's not concerned.
"I think I can play all the perimeter positions - [point guard, shooting guard, and small forward], mostly likely wings," Winslow said. "But I'm not trying to limit myself. However teams want to use me, I am going to be for it."
In for workouts
Former Connecticut guard Ryan Boatright will join Michael Qualls (Arkansas), Kiefer Sykes (Wisconsin-Green Bay), and Terry Rozier (Louisville) in workouts for the Sixers on Tuesday.
@PompeyOnSixers