When you accomplish something you’ve always set your mind to, you can do one of
two things: get complacent or work even harder. If you’ve ever watched Rodney
McGruder on the court or listened to him speak, you might have an inclination as
to which option he chose.
After earning himself a spot on the HEAT’s roster in October, McGruder went on
to start 65 games for Miami, which was the fifth-most for a rookie in franchise
history. From spot-up threes and quick cuts to the basket to strong on-ball
defense, the swingman showed a lot of promise on both ends of the floor.
Even so, the work is still far from over.
“There’s not one thing that I’m not working on,” McGruder said. “I have great
coaches that have been working with me this summer and just helping me out a lot
and really expanding my knowledge on things and the reasoning behind things.”
That approach from the coaching staff to each and every player on the roster has
manifested itself into one of the strongest player development programs in the
NBA. Other than McGruder, guys like Tyler Johnson and Hassan Whiteside have also
risen through the ranks with the assistance of the coaches. While Eric Glass,
Chris Quinn and Rob Fodor are the ones who work out McGruder, the 25-year-old
really admires Erik Spoelstra’s and Dan Craig’s coaching style.
“Those are two guys that once I coach, I want to model myself after because
they’re just so positive, but they still get their point across being positive,”
McGruder said. “Like they’re not screaming and cursing you out, but they still
get their point across from being positive and they’re phenomenal coaches.”
With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that McGruder is big on
positive energy. For a guy who went undrafted, played overseas in Hungary and
was waived from two NBA teams before being a part of the HEAT’s system and
culture, it would have been easy for McGruder to move on to “Plan B”. That’s not
how he goes about his business, though.
“I figured one way or another it was going to work,” McGruder said. “I just had
faith and really I prayed about it. Shoot, this past season, my prayers were
answered. I couldn’t be more thankful or fortunate to be with a great
organization like the HEAT, man, an organization that really cares for you. It’s
hard to put into words how appreciative and thankful I am to be here.”
Because of his unique journey, McGruder is in a perfect position to not only
inspire the youth, but also give some advice to up-and-comers who will be
participating in Summer League on July 1.
“I would just say don’t put limits on yourself or don’t let anyone else put
limits on yourself either. Just whatever you want in life, go after it. Believe
in yourself and have faith in the man above. That’s what I believe got me here.”
Player: Rodney McGruder
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