The Miami Heat suffered yet another injury in Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers when James Johnson went down with an ankle sprain. It’s not all bad news for the Heat, however, as it seems they are very close to getting one player back from injury ahead of schedule.
While it was previously reported that Justise Winslow could miss up to four games after injuring his left knee last week against the Portland Trail Blazers, Andre C. Fernandez of the Miami Herald reported on Saturday night that Winslow is already close to returning to the court:
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“While Winslow’s strained left knee wasn’t well enough for him to suit up Saturday night against the Clippers, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Winslow will travel with the team to Atlanta for Miami’s next game Monday against the Hawks.”
Spoelstra seemed to be confident that Winslow will be able to return to the court soon.
“[Winslow]’s feeling better, but he’s not quite ready to play,” he said.
Winslow, who is averaging just 6.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season, certainly has room to improve his game, but his energy and defensive presence has surely been missed during his two-game absence. With Johnson potentially set to miss time and Hassan Whiteside still dealing with a lingering knee injury of his own, the news that Winslow could be coming back is certainly a welcome sight.
The Heat have enjoyed a two-game winning streak since Winslows absence. Hopefully the former first-round draft pick is healthy enough to take part in a third straight win when Miami takes on the Hawks this Monday night.
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