L’Olimpia Milan, after a bad first half of the season in the Euroleague and championship, in recent weeks he has been making amends to recover in both competitions. If on the field the team seems to have finally found its own identity, further help could arrive from the transfer market shortly. After the surprising (re)signing of Shabazz Napier, Armani would be looking for a winger capable of making up for the absences of Baron and Shields. According to ROM and Sportando, the right name could be that of Rodney McGruder, in negotiations with Olimpia at the moment. But who is McGruder, and what can he bring to Messina’s roster? Let’s find out together with a short scouting.
American guard born in 1991, in the event of landing at Olimpia Rodney McGruder would find himself facing his second experience in Europe. After 4 years of college at Kansas State, the Landover native went undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft. Having his NBA career cut short, he signed a contract with Atomeromu in November 2013, playing 29 games in the Hungarian league. A year later he tried again to experience the first basketball league in the world, ending up signing a contract in the D-League.
Two excellent seasons in the development league, capped by a championship won with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, gave him a tempting opportunity in the summer of 2016 in which Rodney signed a three-year contract with i Miami Heat. Once he earned the roster spot, McGruder had a good first season averaging 6.4 points in 78 games. Less used in his second year, the 2018-19 season is the one in which he produced his best scoring average with 7.6 points in 66 games.
After his contract with the Heat expires, McGruder reaches an agreement with the Los Angeles Clippers in the season interrupted by COVID. Subsequently he signs with i Detroit Pistons, with whom he will play three seasons until 2023. His maximum number of games played comes in 2021-22 with 51 matches played at an average of 5.4 points in 14 minutes. During last summer the Pistons cut him and McGruder participates in the training camp con i Golden State Warriors to try to win the thirteenth place on the roster. Kerr decides not to sign him, and until now the former Heat has remained stuck in search of a contract. McGruder’s last regular season game dates back to March 22, in which he scored 7 points in the Pistons’ victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Summing up all his experiences so far, McGruder is therefore a player with a background important NBA past. His taste of Europe therefore dates back ten years ago, but this does not necessarily undermine his significance. The former Pistons is a player who has already made the trip overseas, and this could certainly help him in his eventual arrival in Milan.
Standing 193 cm tall and weighing 93 kilos, the 32-year-old is listed by our partner Synergy Sports as a spot-up shooting wing. In short, a wing that has as its primary characteristic that of I put my feet on the ground. In his NBA career he played more as a guard, due to his smaller size compared to his American wing counterparts, but Europe could be an opportunity for him to return to playing on the wing. McGruder always held good percentages from beyond the arc in the NBA45.8%, 39.7% and 42.3% respectively in the last three seasons.
Taking the games played against the Pistons last season as a sample, the most important evidence to understand his game comes from play types provided to us by Synergy. The American is a 2/3 who finds his most used weapon, as already mentioned, in tiro in spot-up (47% of possessions played last season). McGruder produces 0.891 PPP in these situations: not excellent numbers, but which are nevertheless supported by the excellent percentages from beyond the arc. However, its use in other situations such as transition (16.1% of possessions at 1,452 PPP), exits from blocks (8.8% at 1,176 PPP) and from handler del pick’n’roll (6.2% a 0.833 PPP).
From these data we can therefore understand how McGruder is a player who does not have as his primary weapon that of putting the ball on the ground or, much less, setting up a pick’n’roll. However, this is not what Messina would ask of him in Milan. His physical size combined with his good touch make the former Pistons player a player effective in attack, if served, and positive in defense. The help he could give in rebounding should also not be underestimated, with figures that could get closer to those of college (4.8 on average) in a context with less dominant bodies than those of the NBA. These are the words said about him by Lorenzo Neri, the scout present in our premium chat:
Experience, tactical readings and great ability to play without the ball outside the box, he has always been a very smart and prepared player in many aspects of the game. In the NBA he didn’t have the physical or athletic means to stand out in a noticeable way, but he has always found a place in the league and the coaches he has had adore him.
From a Milan perspective, I expect a link player between the wingers, who can provide greater danger on the offloads and the use of spacing, and who can take charge of 2s and 3s behind but above all increase the quality of the defensive rotations.
The doubts about him obviously concern his own inclusion in the European context and in the Olimpia context. His shooting qualities can certainly help Milan’s attack in minutes of offensive aridity, but we cannot expect him to load excessive. The risk could also be that of a “Troy Daniels 2.0”, but compared to the former Lakers we are faced with a much more experienced player capable of helping on both sides of the pitch. There are possibilities to prove to be an important player on the Olimpia board, especially in the absence of Shields and Baron. Only the next few hours will tell us if Milan will decide to strike.
2024-01-11 00:56:58
#Milans #potential #signing
