MSU's Cassius Winston growing through freshman mistakes
EAST LANSING – Cassius Winston caught the ball on the left wing, dribbled right, then crossed it back over. He drove toward the baseline.
Two Duke defenders converged. Winston left his feet. A third player stepped into his passing lane.
Turnover. And a Duke 3-pointer at the other end.
Michigan State’s freshman knows plays like that are mistakes he can’t make. But it’s also part of the learning curve for a rookie point guard getting more and more playing time.
“Just being smarter with my decisions,” Winston said after practice Thursday. “I make some good decisions, but I also make some bad. I gotta kind of fix that up a little bit.”
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The slender 6-footer is averaging 2.5 turnovers in 17 minutes over his first eight games, including three in the Spartans’ 78-69 loss at No. 4 Duke on Tuesday. That’s one of the few negatives in a mostly positive start to Winston’s college career.
He is averaging 4.9 points and 4.1 assists a contest, including 11 against Mississippi Valley State and seven against the Blue Devils. He’s shooting 42.9 percent from the floor, though is just 4 of 13 from 3-point range, and also grabs 1.5 rebounds a game.
“He’s learning the game even more and more,” junior point guard Tum Tum Nairn said of Winston. “I think he’s becoming a better defender, too, and a better vocal leader.
“(Mistakes) come in this game. But he has a gift that you can’t teach.”
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MSU coach Tom Izzo said he thinks Winston “has made some serious strides now.” Getting the next five games at home against a little easier competition, starting Saturday against Oral Roberts (4:30 p.m./Big Ten Network), should help continue that growth. So should the additional time practicing and in the film room with the Spartans not having to leave town until after Christmas.
“You got all those games to watch film on and to see all the things that you’ve done wrong and that you gotta do better on this level,” Winston said. “And then we’re playing the best competition, so we know what’s out there. We know what’s out there, and we know what we’re working towards.”
Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@chrissolari.
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