Is Rodney McGruder the Miami Heat’s 2018-19 superstar?

Rodney McGruder pushed the Miami Heat to its first preseason win, showcasing a new set of tools in the process.

The Miami Heat’s first home preseason game began like a homecoming party for Josh Richardson.

He inserted himself into the first few plays, seemingly untouched by the lingering thigh contusion that kept him out of the first three games. Though he only managed five points, the sense of familiarity with which Richardson returned, made the arrival one fit for a soldier, returning home from his call to action.

"“I was really just trying to get the feel back and get my legs back under me,” Richardson said in Miami’s locker room after the game."

Bam Adebayo’s return was much the same, a first look after a nagging shoulder injury sidelined him through the start of preseason. He punctuated his six points with a pair that came as an alley-oop finish, around No. 6 overall draft pick Mo Bamba.

While the night started on Richardson/Adebayo alert, the focus quickly shifted to Rodney McGruder and his 19 points, which helped the Heat seal its first preseason win over the Orlando Magic.

McGruder is a Heat staple.

2018-19 marks his third year of Heat service, though last season was almost entirely curtailed by a left leg stress fracture. Primarily a starter in his first season with Miami, the injury last year shifted the team’s roster alignment, essentially substituting his role in the lineup with Richardson.

But with four preseason games under his belt, McGruder is giving pause to the idea that Richardson is the Heat player most crucial to nightly operations.

Sure, it’s only preseason, but McGruder might be the Miami Heat’s next superstar.

Wait, are you sure?

No, I’m not sure.

Not because there’s some inherent, glaring flaw in McGruder’s game, that would make a basketball savant suggest he be resigned to bench duty.

Rather, there are no sureties in the NBA unless you’re expecting Dwight Howard to get a suspension for technical fouls this season.

(Because that’s probably going to happen again.)

Back to McGruder… he represents the transformative nature every NBA player hopes to embrace.

After missing 64 games last season, he bounced back over the offseason, introducing new caveats to his game that make him more effective than being played as a simple 3-and-D wing.

At 6-foot-4, McGruder plays like a 6-foot-7 forward.

By all accounts, his sleight frame looks better served as a complementary offensive piece; with the Heat, McGruder was never heralded for his playmaking, instead fitting into lineups as a defensive stopper.

Thus far in preseason, he’s changed that notion to one of well-rounded contributions akin to the expectations of Miami’s Richardson.

McGruder’s must have added dribble penetration to his summer to-do list; through 18 games last season, he drove a total of 26 times, and just 225 times in 78 games in 2016-17.

At his current rate however, McGruder is likely to surpass both of those marks, having embraced a quirky hesitation dribble and improved his court vision on the drive.

That Adebayo alley-oop I mentioned before?

Yeah, that was courtesy of a McGruder drive.

That assist was just one of five, a mark that was tied for the most among the Heat with Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson. Miami has been searching for its supplemental playmaker and McGruder just might fit the bill.

Of, course his jump shot is still a factor.

McGruder shot 60 percent from 3 last night, leading the team in makes and attempts.

And, as an added bonus, McGruder nabbed eight rebounds, traversing the Magic’s treetop lineup nimbly and effectively.

"“He’s back,” Dragic said of his teammate. “He’s a huge competitor. He always brings it. It doesn’t matter if it’s back-to-back or if he’s not 100 percent. He’s going to be there and he’s going to make the team better. That’s why everybody loves him.”"

Outbursts like the one McGruder is having can often be relegated to preseason hyperbole.

But both the Heat and Magic last night played the game like it was the same season opener that the two will share Wednesday, October 16.

Unlike the first few preseason games, this one saw rosters shorten.

None of Miami’s new acquisitions saw game time, with head coach Erik Spoelstra instead preferring a rotation that mirrored one he might use in the regular season.

In the wake of missing out on a Jimmy Butler trade, McGruder is giving assurance that the Heat are on the right path. Barring injury, the team has enough options to replicate Butler’s contributions on any given night.

Yes, the team still has a nasty turnover habit, committing 23 last night.

And it’s true that Johnson has yet to find his offensive rhythm, continuing to make his contract work against him.

But with the help of players like McGruder, Miami should be able to keep pace with the rest of the Eastern Conference.