Former Michigan State star point guard Cassius Winston has found his NBA home after being selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 53rd overall pick, and later traded to the Washington Wizards.
Former MSU star Cassius Winston drafted 53rd overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder, traded to Washington Wizards
November 19, 2020
Senior guard Cassius Winston celebrates hitting a three-pointer against Ohio State. The Spartans defeated the Buckeyes, 80-69, at the Breslin Student Events Center on March 8, 2020.
Winston joins a Wizards team with star point guard John Wall recovering from a season ending injury a year ago. Winston will look to play significant minutes behind Wall and possibly replace him in a pinch.
In his time at Michigan State Winston averaged 18.6 points per game as well as 5.9 assists per game. Winston also racked up a number of accolades including third-team All-Big Ten conference honors as a sophomore, Big Ten Player of the Year as a junior and consecutive appearances on the first-team All Big Ten team in his junior and senior season.
Winston played an integral part in the Spartans’ 2019 Final Four run, including his heroic effort to dribble away from Duke Blue Devils defenders as time expired in that much anticipated Elite Eight matchup.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer in his 2020 NBA Draft big board described Winston as a, “Gritty, unselfish point guard who plays winning basketball and made progress each season as a scorer.”
Winston’s high basketball IQ as well as his ability to score bunches in a hurry was appealing to many NBA teams. Winston has limitations with his lack of size and athleticism when it comes to guarding some of the best guards in the NBA, but his ability to run an offense and score at an efficient level should keep him around the league for years to come.
The NBA is set to begin on Dec. 22.
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