NBA Market Share Report: Who to Count On in the Absence of LeBron James?

Running the Show in South Beach

Although Goran Dragic’s knee surgery is set to keep him out a whole heck of a lot longer than a groin injury will keep out LeBron James, a similar situation has occurred in Miami. With Dragic set to miss significant time, there are a few next-man-up value plays to be had in South Beach.

If you were asked to guess who the increased value plays would be in the absence of Dragic, Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson would seem to be the most obvious.

“Justise Winslow is our starting point guard,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

Wait, what? Sure enough, Winslow has been called upon to be the Heat’s primary playmaker the last two games and his performance has been nothing shy of awesome, scoring 43 points on 64-percent shooting, with eight rebounds, nine assists, and five steals.

Winslow’s salary will pop rather quickly (he’s already up $1,000 from just two nights ago) but that shouldn’t necessarily serve as a deterrent. Winslow seems to have every bit of his coach’s confidence and he’s the type of versatile talent capable of contributing across the board.

The Heat host the Cavaliers tonight, followed by a visit from the Timberwolves on Sunday night before heading out to Cleveland to face the Cavs again on Wednesday.