SE: McGruder Making Miami His Home, Returning to Full Strength in Third NBA Season
Oct 15, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Rodney McGruder feels at home in Miami, Florida. He's going on his third year living there as a member of the Miami Heat, an organization he's been revered by since breaking onto its roster in 2016.
"I trust Rodney," Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told The Miami Heralda few weeks ago. "I trust his ability to make winning plays, to have a real attention to detail on both ends of the court. He tends to make the other four guys better. That's a great compliment for a player. He does so many of the little things that you can't necessary teach."
"He's going to make the team better," added veteran point guard Goran Dragic, who gave McGruder the nickname "The Scavenger" during the 2016-17 season. "That's why everybody loves him."
The feeling, McGruder said, is mutual.
"I'm surrounded by great people. The people that I'm surrounded by, it gives that feel of being (at K-State)," he said, as his third NBA season begins on Wednesday. "So, I'm very fortunate."
McGruder brought some of Miami to K-State the second weekend of September. A handful of Miami Heat staff members flew to Manhattan to document a few days of McGruder in his college town for a video feature for the 2018-19 season.
The stops included connecting with his former team and getting in a workout in the Ice Family Basketball Center; seeing his former academic counselor Liane Fowler — "a mother away from my mother," McGruder said — and "Mr. K-State" Ernie Barrett; along with taking in a volleyball match and football gameday atmosphere.
"It's fun showing people who really don't know what K-State's all about. They get to feel the energy and the vibe of everything that's going on. They get to appreciate that, 'Wow, this is a nice university and there are great people here,'" he said, sporting a No. 22 K-State jersey to honor Barrett. "It's great just seeing everybody, connecting with everybody, even if I really don't know them, and just getting to know them because K-State is a family."
McGruder returned to Miami to embark on a bounce-back season, after he missed 60 games during the 2017-18 campaign due to a stress fracture. He played in 18 games late last season but never hit his stride, limiting his role in Miami's return to the postseason.
The injury and the recovery process it required, McGruder said, only added to his desire to improve this offseason. It also put some other things in a different perspective.
"Having something taken away from me, it increased my determination, but it actually made me more appreciative of where I am and the things I'm able to do on a day-to-day basis because there were times I had to get out of bed and get on crutches," McGruder said. "Things that we take for granted from time to time, (the injury) made me more appreciative of that."
McGruder said his support system, from former K-State teammates, coaches and staff members to his actual family members and everyone throughout the Miami Heat, kept him in a good place during his recovery.
"It was a bit tough, but when you have great people around you who were motivating you and encouraging you and pushing you every day to keep on, keeping fighting through the rehab, it makes it a lot better," he added. "My teammates, getting that positive energy from them, just trying to take your mind off of being injured and just try to be in a happy place because you can hurt yourself being in a negative place trying to recover from injury. I was just trying to have good spirits going through that process."
From the outside, June 30 seemed like a day when McGruder's spirits were boosted even more. It's the day the Heat picked up the $1.5 million guarantee on his contract for the 2018-19 season, which, considering his injury, speaks to the organization's belief in him.
For McGruder, however, he said "that day was actually just like any other day."
"I just felt like if you put the hard work in and you have faith and you do the right things, things will just happen," said McGruder, whose path to an NBA roster included being undrafted, cut by multiple teams, a year in Hungary and a breakout season in the D-League (now the G-League). "I wasn't really too worried because I had faith God would land me in the right spot, and I'm with great people as well. I just had faith. I'm looking forward to my third year of being with the Miami Heat."
His preseason numbers would agree.
McGruder led the Heat in scoring (15.3 PPG) through the first four preseason games. In five preseason games, he averaged 14.6 points, shot 48.1 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range — he shot 41.3 from the field and 33.2 percent from deep during his rookie season — all while grabbing 4.6 rebounds and dishing out 2.8 assists per game.
On Wednesday, the Heat open the 2018-19 regular season with an in-state battle against the Orlando Magic, home to McGruder's former K-State teammate Wesley Iwundu. McGruder said he always relishes the chance to reconnect with former Wildcats on the court.
"You have to reach out to your K-State family. There's no other family like it," he said. "Same thing when we play (Michael Beasley) as well. When you connect with K-State, it's a brotherhood."
McGruder then started talking about K-State's Elite Eight run last season. His voice picked up in excitement while he rehashed what his alma mater's success meant to him while he was fighting through some pain and frustration on the court.
"That was very exciting, especially for us to beat Kentucky in the Sweet 16. That meant everything to me. I was happy to see that," he said. "It just goes to show how great of a coach we have here at K-State and what the guys are capable of. Hopefully these guys get an opportunity in the league as well because they're winners, they are, and they proved that."
Rodney McGruder feels at home in Miami, Florida. He's going on his third year living there as a member of the Miami Heat, an organization he's been revered by since breaking onto its roster in 2016.
"I trust Rodney," Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told The Miami Heralda few weeks ago. "I trust his ability to make winning plays, to have a real attention to detail on both ends of the court. He tends to make the other four guys better. That's a great compliment for a player. He does so many of the little things that you can't necessary teach."
"He's going to make the team better," added veteran point guard Goran Dragic, who gave McGruder the nickname "The Scavenger" during the 2016-17 season. "That's why everybody loves him."
The feeling, McGruder said, is mutual.
"I'm surrounded by great people. The people that I'm surrounded by, it gives that feel of being (at K-State)," he said, as his third NBA season begins on Wednesday. "So, I'm very fortunate."
McGruder brought some of Miami to K-State the second weekend of September. A handful of Miami Heat staff members flew to Manhattan to document a few days of McGruder in his college town for a video feature for the 2018-19 season.
All ??'s were on Rodney McGruder as he returned to Kansas State University this weekend! This episode of "Inside the HEAT" will be one that you definitely won't want to miss! ?? Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/j7J09NA5xl
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 9, 2018
The stops included connecting with his former team and getting in a workout in the Ice Family Basketball Center; seeing his former academic counselor Liane Fowler — "a mother away from my mother," McGruder said — and "Mr. K-State" Ernie Barrett; along with taking in a volleyball match and football gameday atmosphere.
"It's fun showing people who really don't know what K-State's all about. They get to feel the energy and the vibe of everything that's going on. They get to appreciate that, 'Wow, this is a nice university and there are great people here,'" he said, sporting a No. 22 K-State jersey to honor Barrett. "It's great just seeing everybody, connecting with everybody, even if I really don't know them, and just getting to know them because K-State is a family."
Rodney McGruder definitely felt the ??from his extended family this afternoon at the @kstatesports football game.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 8, 2018
Take a minute to go back to Manhattan with him! pic.twitter.com/cpq8ASX7tM
McGruder returned to Miami to embark on a bounce-back season, after he missed 60 games during the 2017-18 campaign due to a stress fracture. He played in 18 games late last season but never hit his stride, limiting his role in Miami's return to the postseason.
The injury and the recovery process it required, McGruder said, only added to his desire to improve this offseason. It also put some other things in a different perspective.
"Having something taken away from me, it increased my determination, but it actually made me more appreciative of where I am and the things I'm able to do on a day-to-day basis because there were times I had to get out of bed and get on crutches," McGruder said. "Things that we take for granted from time to time, (the injury) made me more appreciative of that."
McGruder said his support system, from former K-State teammates, coaches and staff members to his actual family members and everyone throughout the Miami Heat, kept him in a good place during his recovery.
"It was a bit tough, but when you have great people around you who were motivating you and encouraging you and pushing you every day to keep on, keeping fighting through the rehab, it makes it a lot better," he added. "My teammates, getting that positive energy from them, just trying to take your mind off of being injured and just try to be in a happy place because you can hurt yourself being in a negative place trying to recover from injury. I was just trying to have good spirits going through that process."
From the outside, June 30 seemed like a day when McGruder's spirits were boosted even more. It's the day the Heat picked up the $1.5 million guarantee on his contract for the 2018-19 season, which, considering his injury, speaks to the organization's belief in him.
For McGruder, however, he said "that day was actually just like any other day."
"I just felt like if you put the hard work in and you have faith and you do the right things, things will just happen," said McGruder, whose path to an NBA roster included being undrafted, cut by multiple teams, a year in Hungary and a breakout season in the D-League (now the G-League). "I wasn't really too worried because I had faith God would land me in the right spot, and I'm with great people as well. I just had faith. I'm looking forward to my third year of being with the Miami Heat."
His preseason numbers would agree.
McGruder led the Heat in scoring (15.3 PPG) through the first four preseason games. In five preseason games, he averaged 14.6 points, shot 48.1 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range — he shot 41.3 from the field and 33.2 percent from deep during his rookie season — all while grabbing 4.6 rebounds and dishing out 2.8 assists per game.
On Wednesday, the Heat open the 2018-19 regular season with an in-state battle against the Orlando Magic, home to McGruder's former K-State teammate Wesley Iwundu. McGruder said he always relishes the chance to reconnect with former Wildcats on the court.
"You have to reach out to your K-State family. There's no other family like it," he said. "Same thing when we play (Michael Beasley) as well. When you connect with K-State, it's a brotherhood."
McGruder then started talking about K-State's Elite Eight run last season. His voice picked up in excitement while he rehashed what his alma mater's success meant to him while he was fighting through some pain and frustration on the court.
"That was very exciting, especially for us to beat Kentucky in the Sweet 16. That meant everything to me. I was happy to see that," he said. "It just goes to show how great of a coach we have here at K-State and what the guys are capable of. Hopefully these guys get an opportunity in the league as well because they're winners, they are, and they proved that."
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