Heat rookie Winslow one that got away from Celtics

BOSTON – When you see Justise Winslow up close, it becomes clear instantly why Danny Ainge was willing to give up several draft picks to move up enough places to draft the 6-foot-6, 220-pound muscular small forward out of Duke.

And when you look at what he has done thus far as a rookie with the Miami Heat, his ability to be a difference-making defender has been among the keys to the Miami Heat being able to withstand a slew of injuries and yet still rank among the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

There’s no shot at Boston getting its hands on Winslow anytime in the near future.

But the fact that their interest even now remains strong, could potentially come into play down the road.

Winslow says facing the Celtics today is a big game because of its potential impact on the Eastern Conference standings.

"This game pretty much counts as double," Winslow told CSNNE.com. "It's going to be close down the stretch with these teams. This game definitely counts a little bit more."

And as far as Boston's interest in him on draft night, while flattered, Winslow said it doesn't add any additional signficance whenever he sees the Celtics.

“It doesn’t mean anything until possibly being a free agent or anything,” Winslow said. “It’s just business, just like it is with the other 28 NBA teams.”

Winslow was selected by the Heat with the 10th overall pick in last June’s NBA draft. The Celtics were offering multiple draft picks to the Charlotte Hornets who were on the clock at No. 9.

Despite multiple first-round picks (the Brooklyn pick Boston will receive this year was not among those offered to Charlotte) on the table, the Hornets decided to not trade the pick to Boston and instead used it to draft Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky.

Winslow is averaging 6.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season along with 1.4 assists. In addition, the 19-year-old Winslow has stood out as one of the top on-the-ball defenders. He has a defensive rating of 97.6 which ranks third among Eastern Conference players who play at least 25 minutes per game.