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Michigan State Basketball: Bradley Beal praises Cassius Winston’s leadership

By Connor Muldowney

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 02: Cassius Winston #5 of the Washington Wizards dribbles against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half at Capital One Arena on February 02, 2021 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 02: Cassius Winston #5 of the Washington Wizards dribbles against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half at Capital One Arena on February 02, 2021 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /
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When Cassius Winston slid to the second round on draft night a year ago, it was met with mixed reactions. Some believed it was a good thing for him to drop and become hungry while others believed he was one of the biggest snubs in the class.

Almost a full year in, Cassius looks like he was drafted based on potential both on and off the court.

Besides being one of the best collegiate point guards in the past decade, Cassius also proved to be a heck of a person. He was an elite scorer at Michigan State as well as a top-tier passer but he also knew how to be a good teammate and great person off the court. He was the perfect representative for Michigan State basketball.

Right now, Washington needs him to learn from guys like Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook before seeing his role increase but his leadership, even as a rookie, is obvious.

Beal wasn’t fully in the game versus the Warriors on Wednesday night and Cassius pulled him aside and gave him some words of encouragement.

How often do you see a rookie giving words of encouragement to an NBA superstar? Heck, how often do you see an NBA superstar praising a lightly-used rookie?

The answer: almost never.

This just goes to show how great of a teammate Cassius is and even when he’s not on the floor, he’s making a positive impact on the team.

Cassius Winston waiting for his opportunity

While not seeing the floor much, it’s things like this that will keep Cassius around for a while and when he does play, he actually makes the most of his minutes.

In fact, after a solid showing in the G-League this season, he was called up to the Wizards and he’s averaging 2.1 points and 0.6 assists in just over five minutes per outing. He’s also shooting 41 percent from the floor and 47 percent from 3-point range. He’s only appeared in 17 games and he has scored in every game (9) in which he was given more than two minutes.

Give Winston time to learn the ropes and really acclimate to the speed of the NBA and he’ll be one of those guys that every coach wants on the roster for both on and off-the-court reasons.

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