After watching a few of the Miami Heat Summer League games, one of the players is making his presence felt, and his name is Max Strus.
The former DePaul Blue Demons wing, who signed a two-year contract with the Heat, has been taking over the NBA Summer League by storm. How will this carry over into the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season?
Max has been on a roll, averaging 19.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game so far in Summer League. This production could help the guard rotation of Kyle Lowry, Victor Oladipo, and Tyler Herro, as well as the forward rotation of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Markieff Morris, and Duncan Robinson.
Though we may not see him as a starter, he has the starter’s mentality. He has the ability to control the floor, find the open man, and create plays for his teammates and himself down the floor.
This will work great as Strus can create openings from outside the three-point arc for shooters like Butler, Lowry, Oladipo, and Herro, and open up the paint for Adebayo, Morris, and Dedmon.
He’s almost a lock at the free-throw line, too, as he set the school record at DePaul with 167 free throws made. He also can work well under pressure in intense situations.
We saw this when he took control of a recent Summer League game. He dropped 32 points and hit the game-winner in the second overtime against the Memphis Grizzlies to win 97-94.
The biggest question still remains, though – when would Strus be on the court for the Heat in the upcoming season? He will most likely be a replacement in case any of the guards or the forwards go down with an injury since the team is low at the guard and forward positions.
In my opinion, Max Strus can make an impact on the team this year. If he is given the opportunity to shine, the pressure won’t affect him, and he could take over the game. Miami needs to have this guy on their bench for the upcoming NBA 2021-22 season.
They should throw him in the lineup in high-pressure situations. Will we see it? I guess, for now, we will watch him and see if he can make his presence felt this upcoming season.