Profile Pic: Cassius Winston
The history with Wiley, the ability to carry games on his shoulders, and how he turns Hapoel’s backcourt into a deadly force. Profile Pic, Cassius Winston
26/07/2025
| 11:00
| Profile Pic
On July 23rd, Hapoel added another scorer to its backcourt. The guard joins another point guard who has already become the team’s central anchor. He’s a clear offensive talent, a high-level creator with exceptional playmaking ability, and most importantly – someone who brings a real threat every time the ball is in his hands. Still, there’s a question: how will he manage with his relatively small size, especially in a physical and demanding league like the Israeli league and the EuroCup?
But there's also a bonus point – and a significant one: a previous partnership with Austin Wiley, the big man who became Hapoel’s anchor in the paint last season.
That paragraph above could’ve been written this summer – or even last summer.
On July 23, 2024 – it was about *ared Harper.
Exactly a year later – on July 23, 2025 – it's about Cassius Winston.
Back then, some saw the signing as a complementary move or a backup role player. But looking back, there’s no doubt it turned out to be the most impactful signing of the summer, turning Jared Harper into Hapoel's most important player, and Hapoel Jerusalem into the dominant and threatening team it became in the Israeli league – one win away from a championship.
Now, a year later, it’s hard not to wonder: is the story repeating itself?
Could Cassius Winston also become a star alongside Harper, and be the missing piece Hapoel lacked last season?
So who are you really, Cassius Winston – or as he's known, “Cash”?
Winston broke onto the scene during his time at Michigan State University, where he played alongside the likes of Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. and became a central figure for the Spartans. To this day, he holds the all-time assist record for the school, with an incredible 890 assists from the 2016/17 season through 2019/20. In the 2018/19 season alone, he dished out an astonishing 291 assists. Incredible. Moving on – Cassius was selected in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft, went through Oklahoma and then the Washington Wizards, spent time in the G League, and then headed to Europe: first with Bayern Munich from EuroLeague, then Tofa? Bursa – where he teamed up with Austin Wiley – and most recently, Italy, before arriving at Hapoel this week.
In his last season with Reggio Emilia, “Cash” averaged 14.8 points and – just as importantly – 5.7 assists per game in the Basketball Champions League (BCL), a clear sign that he might be exactly what Hapoel was looking for - someone who knows how to find Austin Wiley in the paint and activate him – something he's already proven he can do:
What he brings to Hapoel is, above all, significant backcourt depth.
And no – that’s not a minor point. With three guards like Khadeen Carrington, Jared Harper, and now Winston – Hapoel holds a one-of-a-kind offensive arsenal. The team can play in different lineups, use creative rotations, play with two point guards, two shooters, various combinations – and above all, know that it has more than one answer to the question: who takes the final shot?
Hapoel now holds a truly unique offensive arsenal. Cassius Winston (Photo credit: Euroleague)
And here comes the most important aspect:
Winston, like Harper, is a money-time player (we said “Cash,” didn’t we?). A guy who can take the ball in crunch time, read the play, and deliver a game-winner.
Some might say that’s a problem – that there are too many ball-dominant players – but in fact, that’s one of Hapoel’s greatest strengths this season. The fact that the team isn’t dependent on one player having a good night, that there’s backup in the coveted role of “the guy who wins you the game,” and that there's such a high concentration of players who can score at any moment - that’s a winning formula.
In fact, it might be one of Hapoel’s strongest points heading into the 2025/26 season - the guard position has become deep, diverse, and above all - deadly.
And with a backcourt like this, how can we not count the days until tipoff?
Until then – get your season tickets here!
But there's also a bonus point – and a significant one: a previous partnership with Austin Wiley, the big man who became Hapoel’s anchor in the paint last season.
That paragraph above could’ve been written this summer – or even last summer.
On July 23, 2024 – it was about *ared Harper.
Exactly a year later – on July 23, 2025 – it's about Cassius Winston.
Back then, some saw the signing as a complementary move or a backup role player. But looking back, there’s no doubt it turned out to be the most impactful signing of the summer, turning Jared Harper into Hapoel's most important player, and Hapoel Jerusalem into the dominant and threatening team it became in the Israeli league – one win away from a championship.
Now, a year later, it’s hard not to wonder: is the story repeating itself?
Could Cassius Winston also become a star alongside Harper, and be the missing piece Hapoel lacked last season?
So who are you really, Cassius Winston – or as he's known, “Cash”?
Winston broke onto the scene during his time at Michigan State University, where he played alongside the likes of Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. and became a central figure for the Spartans. To this day, he holds the all-time assist record for the school, with an incredible 890 assists from the 2016/17 season through 2019/20. In the 2018/19 season alone, he dished out an astonishing 291 assists. Incredible. Moving on – Cassius was selected in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft, went through Oklahoma and then the Washington Wizards, spent time in the G League, and then headed to Europe: first with Bayern Munich from EuroLeague, then Tofa? Bursa – where he teamed up with Austin Wiley – and most recently, Italy, before arriving at Hapoel this week.
In his last season with Reggio Emilia, “Cash” averaged 14.8 points and – just as importantly – 5.7 assists per game in the Basketball Champions League (BCL), a clear sign that he might be exactly what Hapoel was looking for - someone who knows how to find Austin Wiley in the paint and activate him – something he's already proven he can do:
What he brings to Hapoel is, above all, significant backcourt depth.
And no – that’s not a minor point. With three guards like Khadeen Carrington, Jared Harper, and now Winston – Hapoel holds a one-of-a-kind offensive arsenal. The team can play in different lineups, use creative rotations, play with two point guards, two shooters, various combinations – and above all, know that it has more than one answer to the question: who takes the final shot?
Hapoel now holds a truly unique offensive arsenal. Cassius Winston (Photo credit: Euroleague)
And here comes the most important aspect:
Winston, like Harper, is a money-time player (we said “Cash,” didn’t we?). A guy who can take the ball in crunch time, read the play, and deliver a game-winner.
Some might say that’s a problem – that there are too many ball-dominant players – but in fact, that’s one of Hapoel’s greatest strengths this season. The fact that the team isn’t dependent on one player having a good night, that there’s backup in the coveted role of “the guy who wins you the game,” and that there's such a high concentration of players who can score at any moment - that’s a winning formula.
In fact, it might be one of Hapoel’s strongest points heading into the 2025/26 season - the guard position has become deep, diverse, and above all - deadly.
And with a backcourt like this, how can we not count the days until tipoff?
Until then – get your season tickets here!
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