Rodney McGruder got his chance in the starting lineup after injuries to Dion Waiters and Josh Richardson, but the Miami Heat should look to utilize the young guard as a bench specialist in the future.
Next to Goran Dragic, rookie Rodney McGruder was the Heat’s most reliable guard over the course of the 2016 season. In a year that saw Dion Waiters and Josh Richardson miss extended time due to injury, it was McGruder that Erik Spoelstra called on to hold the team together.
The rookie was as steady as Spoelstra could’ve possibly asked for, with McGruder routinely defending the opposition’s best player and some of the best scorers in the league on a nightly basis on the way to 65 starts for the Heat, third on the team. On offense, his game progressed over the course of the year and he’s emerging as a consistent 3-and-D player for the Heat.
"“He’s a Miami Heat-type guy,” Spoelstra told the Miami Herald towards the end of the season. “It’s not a surprise he has absolutely fought—scratched and clawed—his way into the starting lineup.”"
But moving forward, the question of whether McGruder should remain in the starting lineup has a clear answer. As the Heat look to build a championship contender, the fact is McGruder will be best served coming off the bench.
While it is certainly a positive that the former Kansas State guard is capable of entering the starting lineup when needed (he’s proven to be capable of doing anything asked of him by the coaching staff), his role as a defensive specialist and bench shooter will prove far more valuable on a nightly basis.
McGruder is also hurt by a very crowded backcourt situation developing in Miami with Waiters, Richardson, Dragic and Tyler Johnson all vying for minutes. Next season, Justise Winslow will also return (along with a potential first round pick) and the Heat could possibly add a player like Gordon Hayward or Rudy Gay which will also cut into McGruder’s minutes.
Falling out of the starting lineup is certainly not a knock on McGruder’s skill or potential development as much as it is a commentary on the necessary makeup of a championship team.
Take a comparable ceiling for McGruder, Shane Battier, as an example. In his three years with the Heat, Battier started a total of 86 of 210 played regular season games and never averaged more than seven points in a season, but there is no doubt that without him those championships become even more difficult to win.
It was irrelevant whether or not Battier was in the starting lineup, his defense and 3-point shooting were vital, the most famous example being his perfect shooting night from 3 in the clinching game over San Antonio in the 2013 Finals.
The luxury of having an elite defensive stopper to call on late in playoff games is something all championship teams have. McGruder’s value to the Heat lies in his ability to develop his 3-point shot and become one of the team’s best defenders, much like Battier (and others) did for those championship teams in Miami.
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While McGruder has a lot of work left until he reaches the pedigree of Battier, the blueprint to become a great NBA player exists outside of the starting lineup. If he can elevate his defensive ability and continue to work on his offensive game within the Heat’s system, he’ll always have a place in Spoelstra’s rotation as the Heat look to build a team that can contend for a championship.