Justise Winslow hoping to carve out role with Raptors through his defence, leadership

“I didn’t think it was going to happen that soon.”

Justise Winslow has been on a long journey back to the NBA. Back on Dec. 21st, 2022, when Winslow was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, he suffered an ankle injury that ended up sidelining him for almost a year.

It wasn’t until Dec. 13^th, 2023 that he was able to play again, this time as a member of the Raptors 905.

And only two months after making his long-awaited return, the Texas native signed a 10-day contract with the Raptors.

“It was one of those things where you could start feeling the momentum, I could start to feel it pick up,” Winslow told Sportsnet about getting the contract. “(Raptors 905) coach (Eric) Khoury called me and he gave me the good news and I probably didn’t sound the most excited on the phone but my heart was racing. I was super excited!”

The 27-year-old was drafted 10th overall by the Miami Heat in 2015 and has spent time with the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers and the Trail Blazers.

“I don't take any of it for granted anymore. It's a privilege to play in this league. I treat it with such an honour and I approach it with that type of joy and gratefulness.”

Those emotions have been felt with the 905 as well. Winslow has brought a veteran presence to the team, whether it be leading impromptu karaoke sessions on the team bus to keep morale high when the they were stuck at the U.S. border for several hours, or encouraging his teammates on the court to take the shot.

“Justise is one of the players I clicked with immediately,” said Raptors 905 guard Drake Jefferies, who was with Winslow when his teammate found out he was getting the 10-day contract.  “I didn’t think we would have this good a friendship, but we do. Me and ‘Juice’ have gotten pretty close, he is a great teammate and friend and just brings such energy with him.”

In 13 games for the Raptors 905, Winslow was averaging 16.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists with a 50.3 field goal percentage.

“It’s definitely been a process,” Winslow said about getting back into a rhythm and feeling comfortable on the court again. “It hasn't been easy. There have been some good days and bad days and ups and downs, but you know, (I’m) just staying the course.

“I have goals and benchmarks I want to hit.  The first one was getting healthy enough to play and then make an impact and eventually getting that call-up.”

So what’s the next benchmark for him?

“It’s really about asserting myself and just getting back comfortable out there and playing the game I love. I've been able to hit the benchmarks and I’ll just try to take care of what I can and let the rest do what it does.”

It’s safe to say the Raptors season has been a rollercoaster. Following Monday night’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Raptors have the fourth-worst record in the Eastern Conference (19-35). In the last six weeks, the team has added nine new faces to the roster. As one of those new faces, Winslow spoke with Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic about the impact they are hoping he can have on the team.

“My defence is something that can be infectious and really improve a team.  I can also bring leadership. It's only (coach Rajakovic's) first year here so he is still trying to get an identity for this group and for the organization as a whole, so just helping build that culture. I've been blessed to be a part of some good programs, whether professionally or even before in high school, at Duke and Team USA. So just carrying all that with me and trying to help these guys reach their potential.”

The Raptors also signed Winslow’s 905 teammate Mouhamadou Gueye to a 10-day contract. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 30.9 minutes in 28 Showcase Cup and regular season games with Raptors 905 this season.