In January, when Justise Winslow was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his right shoulder, it was expected his recovery process would take six months, and he reaffirmed today that he is still on track to be fully healthy by July:
“The shoulder is doing well. Five months down, one more to go, as far as the six-month process,” Winslow told reporters on Saturday at the Dew NBA 3x showcase in Miami.
Currently, the Miami Heat forward is doing individual workouts and working to get back into shape, including on-court workouts with light contact. Winslow expects to be fully recovered by the time training camp starts in September.
“It feels great. I got all my range of motion and now we’re trying to get it strong enough to where it can endure contact and falls and that sort of thing,” he said.
The Duke University product only played in 18 games last season and averaged 10.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. Although those statistics were better than his rookie season, Winslow’s shooting deteriorated from 42.2 percent to 35.6 percent this past year. Improving his shot will be a major focus during the offseason.
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Here's some of what @IAmJustise had to say today about his recovery from shoulder surgery. He's one month away from full recovery pic.twitter.com/8HVxJ1yHQN
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) June 3, 2017
“With not being able to use my right arm, I’ve just been focusing on a lot of one-handed stuff, a lot of mechanics, a lot of fundamentals,” Winslow said about his shot. “I’ve already made a lot of strides and it’s still early in the summer. So I’m just keeping at it, keep working hard and see where you are in September.”
Despite his poor shooting, Heat president Pat Riley said during his end-of-season press conference that it was too early to make any judgments about what sort of player Winslow could be in the future.
“We’re measuring this guy after (96) games. And I think that’s unfair,” Riley said.
In the meantime, Winslow plans to stay in Miami for the majority of the summer and continue the rehab process.
“It’s not the best, it’s not what I want. But I’ve got to make the best of the situation,” Winslow said about missing the majority of the season. “I’ve got to find the silver lining.”
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