Duke freshman small forward Justise Winslow is entering this year’s NBA draft, as he announced in a statement released by the school. Winslow is No. 5 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and No. 6 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. The news is no surprise, given his position as a likely top-10 pick. One Eastern Conference GM told Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops recently that Winslow would be a contender to become the No. 1 overall pick if not for the presence of Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor.
The 19-year-old Winslow improved his three-point shooting over the course of the season, and the continued development of that outside shot is key to his pro potential, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors wrote as he ranked him eighth in his latest Draft Prospect Power Rankings. Winslow finished at 41.8% from behind the arc and averaged 12.6 points and 6.5 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per game.
Duke, with Winslow, Okafor and fellow likely first-round pick Tyus Jones, won the national championship, though Winslow’s best NCAA Tournament performance came against Utah in the Sweet 16. The 6’7″ Winslow had 21 points, two off his season high, and 10 rebounds, and he made three out of his four three-point attempts.