Miami Heat: Now is the time for Max Strus to shine

It’s been quite the journey for Max Strus to arrive at his current destination with the Miami Heat.

Initially undrafted coming out of DePaul, not only was he waived by the Boston Celtics just prior to his first professional season, Strus would then appear in two games for the Chicago Bulls before blowing out his ACL. Due to the delayed start to the 2020-21 season, Strus was afforded additional time to fully recuperate from his knee injury, at which time the Heat swooped in and subsequently signed to him a training camp contract that eventually became a two-way deal.

Armed with a two-year contract, the Miami Heat will be looking for further contributions this season from swingman Max Strus.

In his first full season in an NBA uniform, Strus appeared in 39 games and averaged 6.1 points in just 13.0 minutes per game. At 6’5″ and 215 pounds, Strus possesses the size and versatility to not only stretch the floor but also guard a variety of players as a true swingman.

Despite coming off a serious injury, the 25-year-old demonstrated a great deal of athleticism in his limited appearances, all the more impressive considering his lengthy rehabilitation time. In fact,  the emerging Strus shot an exemplary 33-of-36 within the restricted area, with his 91.7 percent return the best in the league among the 392 players who attempted at least 30 within the restricted area last season. This came primarily with his ability to play off the ball, with Strus shooting a blistering 14-of-15 on cuts, per NBA Stats.

But it’s his ability to stretch the floor and shoot from the perimeter that’s going to set Strus apart moving forward. At the recent NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Strus was given the chance to take on more responsibilities and he didn’t disappoint, averaging 20.8 points per game while shooting 40.0 percent from three on a whopping 11.3 attempts per game. Given Strus had just two games with the Heat last regular season in which attempted at least 10 triples, this is certainly a noticeable change.

While he shot just 33.8 percent overall from three, Strus managed to nail 45.2 percent (14-of-31) of his wide-open threes last season, particularly excelling when playing alongside Jimmy Butler. On passes from Butler, Strus shot at an elite 58.8 percent clip (10-of-17), with the chemistry and confidence exhibited between the two clearly a factor in this return.

In a recent interview on the Five on the Floor Podcast, Strus explained how he was able to earn the trust of Butler, primarily in the midst of some intense practice scrimmages:

"“Jimmy likes people who play hard and have a chip on their shoulder and just want to win. So as much as he was going at me, I was going right back at him. So I think that might have gained a little trust and a little respect there just to not back down to anybody in that situation. So I think that definitely had something to do with it.”"

Looking forward to the upcoming 2021-22 season, Strus seems bound for a larger role within the rotation. With Andre Iguodala, Trevor Ariza, Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn having departed this offseason, minutes at both the two and three spots are clearly going to be available.

So armed with a newly-signed two-year deal, and the backing of the best player on the roster, Max Strus looks set to demonstrate to the Miami Heat and the rest of the league that he’s here for the long haul.