Jordan McRae

Cleveland Cavaliers guards Kyrie Irving, Iman Shumpert and Jordan McRae have become close friends and often have competitions following practice.

(Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It was late August -- about two months after the Cleveland Cavaliers' victory parade -- when Jordan McRae learned the news from strength and conditioning coach Derek Millender.

LeBron James had asked Millender, who goes by D-Mill around the Cavaliers' training facility, to extend a special invitation to McRae to work out with James at UCLA's Student Activities Center.

"I got on the next flight out," McRae told cleveland.com. "I was just happy that I could go work out with LeBron."

When he arrived, it wasn't just James. Future Hall-of-Famer Dwyane Wade, first-overall pick Ben Simmons and veteran Richard Jefferson were also there. It was an exclusive club.

The photos hit social media and then came the question: How did McRae, a little-used reserve who last January was moments away from giving up on his NBA dream, wind up in that group?

"The kid has been working so hard and ever since we got him here he's been soaking in the process," James told cleveland.com. "As long as he's here I think it's my duty to try to help him.

"He took everything he learned from last year into summer league. We saw what he was able to do in summer league and we found out we were bringing him back so I just wanted him to continue to get better because he's so talented. He's an NBA scorer. He's an NBA talent. He's a great kid, too, so it's my duty."

Jordan McRae joined LeBron James and others in California for off-season workouts.

The five players didn't compete much in California. But the experience was invaluable.

"For a young player to be around that kind of knowledge, watching how hard they work, that was big for me," he said.

The trip to California was just one stop during McRae's transformative summer trek. It was also another reminder of the hard lessons he learned while at Tennessee, a four-year stint that humbled him and taught him the value of commitment.

After starring at Liberty County High School in Hinesville, Georgia, where McRae earned All-State honors and a spot on the McDonald's All-American Team, he went to Knoxville with big expectations, thinking he would be a prolific scorer.

It didn't go as planned. McRae played in 10 games, totaling 53 minutes, as a freshman. Things finally began changing late in Year Two, when he laid the foundation for becoming one of the hardest working members of the Cavaliers.

"My sophomore year, I would have a bad game and would get in the gym. Then I would have a good game and I wouldn't," McRae said. "Then I realized this is not working. If it's 40 points, in the gym at 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. Zero points, still in the gym at 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. Once you keep that routine up, you know why you missed shots."

That grind hasn't changed much. One week after the June parade, while some of his teammates were still celebrating the NBA title, McRae began his off-season workouts.

"I was here all summer," McRae said. "I didn't really leave that much."

He left on weekends to go visit his family in Savannah, Georgia. He went to South Carolina with Millender for a change of scenery. He went to Las Vegas in July, where he dazzled during summer league, named to the first team after averaging 24.3 points, the third highest in Vegas.

"Just trying to show everybody what I can do," McRae said. "It was fun to have my teammates and coaches see some things they weren't able to see during the year. I think it was good for me."

Jordan McRae has formed a close relationship with Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert, as the trio worked out together this off-season.

He joined James in California prior to meeting up with Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert for workouts in Miami.

"Being with these guys I really feel like I've been here forever," McRae said. "Me and Ky are best friends. Me, him and Shump talk everyday and hang out every day.

"Great relationship with Bron. I think part of the reason why we have a great relationship is I know Bron respects hard work and he sees and knows everything. I know he sees me in here grinding so I think, a lot of the older guys, the veterans, the easiest way to have them on your side is to don't talk, but listen and work hard."

That's what McRae did. All summer.

"I've developed a routine," he said. "I've learned from James Jones, LeBron and Kyrie and I've developed a routine that I do every day now."

That work ethic earned him an invite to James' workouts. It also has General Manager David Griffin excited about his potential.

"He's a great kid," Griffin said. "He's willing to do whatever you ask him to do. The veterans like him and the young guys like him. He's got an endearing personality. He's not somebody who thinks he has made it yet, but he has enough swagger to feel like he belongs. That's important and important in our locker room because our guys can be merciless. I think he's got the right blend of confidence and humility."

McRae's typical day this summer started early, 8-8:30 a.m. at the latest, with a morning lift followed by a shooting session. Once that was done, McRae would exit the court to box. Other days he would work on his legs before doing Pilates and yoga.

"I was doing a lot of weights and that's helped out my shot a lot," McRae said.

As he showed during summer league, McRae is a slasher. The added weight should improve finishing through contact. It should also help him on the defensive end.

"It's very difficult to defend twos when you're as slight as he is," Griffin said. "He gets knocked off fairly easily so we wanted to improve his base and improve his core strength. Derek did a great job. And there's still a lot of work to improve there."

Ten pounds heavier after a rigorous summer, McRae has shifted his focus to earning a bigger role.

"Nobody comes into camp saying I'm going to have the same role or lesser role," McRae said. "There's opportunity out there. (Matthew Dellavedova) played 20 minutes per game last year and I don't really look at things like that. If Delly and everybody was here I'm still looking at myself having a bigger role. I think every player comes into camp wanting that."

Is he ready?

"I hope. If it comes around," Griffin said. "Delly wasn't ready for it when he got that chance either. You're rarely ready for it when you get the chance and you're a guy who has been having to try to fight to make it.

"Just as guys go from undrafted to playing meaningful moments and guys get drafted 57th and play meaningful moments, Jordan has earned the right to try to see what it looks like."

After being released by the Phoenix Suns last year and spending more time in the D-League, McRae joined the Cavaliers. He earned a multi-year deal, but played sparingly, appearing in 15 games while making one start. That came in the regular season finale, a game where starters morph into cheerleaders and championship teams rest before the postseason.

McRae "always knew" he could play in the NBA because of his size and versatility, but the Detroit game was his revelation.

"I've played in games, I've scored quick at the end of games, but playing the whole game -- I might've seen that game 100 times just trying to learn from the shots I missed, the shots I made," McRae said. "I don't have that much film so I have to watch that game a lot and learn from it. I think that game right there I was like, 'This is for me.'"

Now, after Dellavedova's departure and Mo Williams' retirement, there's an opening and McRae is one of the players in the mix at backup point guard.

"It's a very difficult transition to make on this level, especially on a team like ours," Griffin said. "Every possession is pretty highly contested so that's going to be a work in progress. We hope that because he's as long as he is as a combo guard he can kind of assume some of what we lost in Delly."

"It's going all right," McRae said of the transition. "It's a learning experience and I have a lot to learn and not a whole lot of time so my learning curve has to be high."

But the point guard spot isn't the only one clouded in uncertainty. J.R Smith's holdout has head coach Tyronn Lue shuffling his roster a bit, with Iman Shumpert moving into the starting role -- for now.

That gives McRae an opportunity to provide a scoring boost off the bench.

"I think of him as a player similar to a Jamal Crawford type," Griffin said. "He finds a way to get the ball in the basket. He shoots threes but he's not a 40 percent 3-point shooter. He can finish at the rim but is not an incredible athlete. He's snake-like. I think he's similar to Jamal in all those ways."

That's high praise. It's also a viewpoint shared by Lue.

"He's been good when he plays the 2," Lue said. "I like him coming in as a scorer coming off the bench. He's great at getting to the free-throw line. He's really done a great job of improving his shot this year.

"Playing with Kyrie, Kevin (Love) and LeBron, he's going to have to be able to knock down open shots. That's what he's been working on this summer and he's coming around."

Training camp is always important. But few have as much at stake as McRae.

This is why his agent Derek Powell and former Tennessee teammate Josh Richardson told him months ago to stay the course, fight through the frustration and avoid the temptation of heading overseas. It was all for this opportunity, a chance to reap the rewards of his dedication.

McRae worked all off-season for this. His teammates all see a different player -- and not just because he packed on 10 pounds.

"He's just comfortable," James said. "He walks in, he knows what he's doing and he knows what the system is. When you first get here you don't know what to expect. You don't know the system so he's deer in the headlights but now he knows just as much as anybody.

"If Coach Lue called his number he will be ready."