The Miami Heat have really reinforced their squad as they look to the new season, both from outside acquisitions and from inside development. While the additions of guys like Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker might be huge for them, which they will be, the guys that they brought back are colossal as well.
One of those guys that’s coming back has really had a nice summer, from an NBA Summer League showing perspective. It’s not hard to figure out who that guy might be, it’s Max Strus.
Heading into his first actual season of knowing that he’s going to be a key part of what the Miami Heat get done, he and the Miami Heat should get their money’s worth. That’s so much so, that you can actually look to him as a barometer for the success of the reserve unit.
The Miami Heat have another bona fide shooter in Max Strus. His ability to knock down the long ball will be crucial for the second unit and the team.
To be clear, he won’t be the feature guy on the second unit, as that role should be reserved for Tyler Herro. When you consider the presences of Dewayne Dedmon, P.J. Tucker, Markieff Morris, Omer Yurtseven, and others even, neither he nor Herro should be counted on to do it all.
With Herro though and those other guys, depending on how they are deployed between the first unit and the reserves, what Strus does has an opportunity to be huge for them. Think about it like this.
If you notice the gravity that Duncan Robinson has in that first unit, it allows everyone else to operate in areas that are more manageable for them. Max Strus can have a similar or that same, even, impact for the second unit.
That’s a little bit of the reason why he could be in store for a Duncan-like leap this season as well. None of that is to even mention when or if Victor Oladipo comes back, how that slides everything around, and especially if he is playing off the bench with some of these guys.
It’s all a pretty interesting problem to have, in the best ways, of course. Regardless of all that though and who is playing off the Miami Heat’s bench, Max Strus will be a part of it and should be a barometer for their success.
If he is going good with his shooting ability, then they should be going good as a whole.