When Rodney McGruder returned to the Miami Heat on February 27, the team exhaled a sigh of relief.
McGruder was instrumental in Miami’s 30-11 finish to the 2016-17 campaign, starting every game in the run while averaging 6.4 points and 3.3 rebounds for the duration.
So, when his left leg stress fracture sidelined him for much of 2017-18, Miami was forced to strategize.
“He started 65 times last year for a team that went 30-11 the second half of the season and then because of injury this year he had to be a support player and I wanted the guys to understand and have empathy for that,” head coach Erik Spoelstra told the Palm Beach Post.