Fans of the Colorado State Rams have been wondering for a while now why former Ram stalwart David Roddy hasn’t been as successful in the professional ranks as he was during his days in the Green and Gold. A 2022 first-round draft pick out of CSU, Roddy was the 23rd selection of the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded on draft night to the Memphis Grizzlies. Since then, it’s been one new stop after another new stop for him.
Roddy has always been good… just not quite good enough to stick on a roster for very long. Still, he’s been good enough that someone has always wanted him.
The Nuggets signed Roddy in early March. They became his seventh NBA team in just four years in the league.
Fans didn’t see a lot of the 6’6” forward until the Nuggets and coach David Adelman decided to collectively bench/rest their starters and key reserves for the final two games of the season… despite the three-seed in the upcoming playoffs still very much on the line.
Much of Nuggets Nation shook their heads and wondered out loud about the strategy considering the final two opponents were Western Conference top-seed Oklahoma City and second-seeded San Antonio, with no margin for error to secure the third seed and avoid a possible meeting with OKC in the second round.
Fortunately for Denver, both the Thunder and the Spurs more or less did the same thing – benching their starters and starting the bench, with OKC sitting all their starters as well. The Spurs put up more of a fight, only leaving Victor Wembanyama in street clothes for the finale. That opened the door for the seldom-used Nuggets reserves. Most of them, including Roddy, responded even better than anyone could have hoped for.
Against OKC, Roddy exploded in the second half, leading a Denver surge that put the game away. In 26 minutes, he scored 21 points, including going 3-for-6 from three-point land. He added a pair of steals and a blocked shot to finish a +14. He hit the boards two nights later in south Texas, scoring 15 points while collecting 13 rebounds – seven of those coming on the offensive end.
After the game, Adelman was full of praise for the former Ram. “If you know who you are, you give yourself a chance. If you do what you do well, and you stay out of the other lanes, you can be very successful.
When asked about Roddy being potentially used in the postseason, Adelman was non-committal, but offered, “He’s earned the right to have the conversation by the way he’s played.”
Despite his hustle and solid play in the final two games, it’s doubtful if Roddy will see action against Minnesota in the first round unless a game is out of hand. Still, the bigger question is how much of an opportunity Denver will give him beginning next season – assuming they want to re-sign him. Yes, he’s both an “oversized small” and an “undersized big” by NBA standards. If he was 6’8” instead of 6’6”, he’d be a full-time rotational player on one of the six teams that he’s already played for. But something has to be said for the grit he plays with. He’s a strong inside player despite his size, something Denver definitely doesn’t have enough of.
Would the team that carried Hunter Tyson for two years despite his lack of production be willing to give a veteran like Roddy – who has shown he can produce – a real shot next fall? To date, Roddy has shown more of an NBA game than fellow “power” forward Zeke Nnaji, for instance.
Denver has several roster decisions to make once the off season arrives. It will be fascinating to see how Roddy factors in.
