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NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Miami Heat

By Jerry Christodoulatos

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Wayne Ellington #2, Josh Richardson #0, Hassan Whiteside #21, James Johnson #16 and Justise Winslow #20 of the Miami Heat walk on the court after a timeout against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Two of the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoff at Wells Fargo Center on April 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Wayne Ellington;Josh Richardson;Hassan Whiteside;James Johnson;Justise Winslow
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Wayne Ellington #2, Josh Richardson #0, Hassan Whiteside #21, James Johnson #16 and Justise Winslow #20 of the Miami Heat walk on the court after a timeout against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Two of the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoff at Wells Fargo Center on April 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Wayne Ellington;Josh Richardson;Hassan Whiteside;James Johnson;Justise Winslow /
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(Photo by B51/Mark Brown/Getty Images)
(Photo by B51/Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

5. Rodney McGruder

Nobody’s going to buy tickets to come and see Rodney McGruder. He’s not the kind of guy that’s ever going to be a household name, but man he can play. McGruder came out of nowhere to start 65 games for Miami in 2017. After Josh Richardson sustained an MCL tear in September 2016, Rodney seized the starting shooting guard role and held up well. He’s a product of the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G-League affiliate. Sioux Falls has developed a number of guys into NBA level players for the Heat.

McGruder suffered a stress fracture in his leg before the season started and missed 60 games due to injury in 2018. He obviously didn’t play as big a role this past season as he spent most of the year recovering. But Rodney looked good upon returning. His game is based more on effort and intensity than athleticism anyway, so as long as he’s fit moving forward he should be able to return to form next season.

On offense McGruder doesn’t excel in any particular area, but his game also lacks any glaring weaknesses either. Perhaps most significantly, he’s decisive. That’s a nice trait for a role player to have. He’s not much of a threat to attack the rim, but he can get into the lane when the defense is scrambling and finish or find teammates. McGruder’s jump shot is still somewhat of a mystery. He’s only attempted 255 3-pointers in his career, hitting just a shade under 35% on those looks. That’s not enough of a sample to know how real the jumper is, but at the very least teams have to guard him.

Most of McGruder’s value comes on defense. He’s not the quickest, strongest or longest guy but he busts his behind out there and that matters. McGruder is probably too small to check a lot of the best threes in the NBA, but he can definitely hold up against most ones and twos.

Retaining McGruder should be a no-brainer for Miami. The third year on McGruder’s deal is non-guaranteed at about $1.5 million. The Heat will almost certainly pick that up and bring back Rodney next season. They missed his intensity in 2018 and although he’s not a guy that can create for others, he’s a solid complementary piece that comes at a ridiculously cheap price.

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