Justise Winslow might not be the NBA's Rookie of the Year this season (that honor will probably go to Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns), but he is the best rookie who has a chance of playing deep into the playoffs. His Miami Heat are the three seed in the East, and a big part of their surprisingly strong season has been Winslow's incredible defense. His defense has been so good that it totally makes sense that the Celtics unsuccessfully tried to trade four draft picks for the chance to take him. We sat down with Justise on the eve of the NBA Playoffs to talk about his rookie season, his development, and his love of visual art.

Most rookies, especially guys who were highly touted prospects like you, get into the league and spend their first few seasons playing for teams that are years away from competing. You came in and are playing big minutes for a team that's competitive in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference. What's that like? Is it more pressured or is it just good to get that opportunity?

I really like the situation I stepped into. Because we have so many good guys, I didn't have too much pressure weighing on my shoulders as a rookie, especially when compared to some of the top picks. We have a really good team with a lot of veterans, and it allowed me to make that smooth transition, where not too much is on my plate, but the coach is still expecting a lot of me. So, it's a good situation and I'm just really excited to be on a winning team and even more excited to hopefully get some more wins in the playoffs.

I'll get back to basketball and the playoffs, but I have to ask . . . I read recently that you're really interested in visual art. How did that come about?

Yeah. It didn't really hit me until my one year at Duke. I would always go hang out at my friend's house and really it was just this one painting they had on the walls. It was like this rainbow-slash-panda . . . something. [Laughs] I don't really know how to describe it. But yeah, one of the kids in the house was an artist and he would stay up late drawing stuff, and I'd check it out. That's really how it got started. My friend was just always drawing. And then last summer, living in New York, I had the opportunity to go to some galleries and different museums and I got to explore it more. Whether it's a painting or photography—I took a photography class at Duke also—really all of it interests me, and it all started that year at Duke.

Is there a particular artist that you gravitate toward?

I can't say I really understand it all, but I really like Basquiat's work. A lot of his stuff is really cool. But living in Miami, there's this really cool neighborhood called Wynwood. And they have the Wynwood Walls. It's kinda like a park. My teammate had a party there. And so I went and it's like graffiti, but it's organized graffiti. You know, murals on the walls, things like that. So right now I'm going through that phase of loving street art. A lot of vibrant colors. Telling quick stories on a wall. That's what I'm into right now.

When you enter into the NBA as a rookie, famously there's some hazing, some ball busting. Is it a fun experience or is it like "Come on, guys, give me a break."

Well this is probably one of the most fun teams I've ever been a part of. With the NBA you have 15 guys coming together who are from very different backgrounds. Different ages. So it's fun to have all these different people thrown together. And yeah, they've had me do some crazy stuff, but mostly it's just getting the guys water, getting them their towels before they shower in the locker room. Unfortunately all the good stuff I can't tell you. [Laughs] But it's cool. It's a rite of passage. And hopefully one day, a couple more years in, I can have some younger guys doing things for me. It's just a thing of respecting the hierarchy of the team and making sure you're humble. So like, getting D-Wade his film and putting it on his computer for him, making sure you're the last ones to get on the plane, the last ones to get on the bus. Don't get on an elevator before the veteran guys. It's just a bunch of small, unwritten rules that you might break one time. But you won't break it again.

All year in good moments and bad, guys like D-Wade and Chris Bosh have been doing what they could to get us ready for the unexpected of the playoffs.

Has there been anything they've done that you can share?

Sure. Whenever there's someone's birthday we have to get on the intercom on the airplane and sing Happy Birthday to them.