OFFICIAL DTB REMINDER: Rodney “Rude McGrude” McGruder started 65 games for the Heat last season as a rookie. He scored 6.4 points per game. The only 50-game starters that season who had a lower scoring average than McGruder were:
1. Luke Babbitt (4.8 PPG, also for the Heat LOL [lots of laughs])
2. Domantas Sabonits (5.9 PPG for OKC)
3. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (6.1 PPG for the Clippers)
5. Zaza Pachulia (6.1 PPG; is a bitch)
If you do the same thing for this season, you get an even smaller list (although McGruder doesn’t qualify because he’s only started one game): Pachulia, OG Anunoby, and Aron Baynes are all under the 6.4 PPG mark.
I guess the point of all of this is that the Heat showed a lot of confidence in McGruder early in his career, but he remains a passive scorer who has an uncertain future in the league. However, with him being an undersized shooting guard, I bet he could totally average 40 PPG in China, which is like a paradise for guys of his size and skillset.