The Miami Heat have a slew of talented guys on the roster as they get set to head into the upcoming season. While the starting guys are typically the ones of talk and rightfully so, the Miami Heat’s reserve unit also deserves a bit of conversation.
While that can go for several guys on the unit, there is one that sticks out a bit more than others at this current moment. Max Strus, a sneaky-athletic sharpshooter, lit things up during the NBA and Miami Heat Summer Circuit of events.
Hopping onto the Summer League scene with everything blazing, he made a name for himself as he catapulted into the collective minds of casual NBA or non-Miami Heat fans that didn’t know about him. With those showings and what he was able to show last season with the big club during the regular season, it began to make one wonder if a leap was in store for Strus.
The only logical conclusion could be that one was or is coming. In fact and dare it be said, he might be looking a Duncan Robinson-type leap if he can continue along his trajectory.
The Miami Heat now have a really strong starting unit, but their reserves aren’t too shabby either. One of them, Max Strus, is even poised for a leap this year.
While the contract is something he’ll have to earn, he could have a similar impact for the reserve unit as Duncan has had for the first unit across his Heat tenure.
It may seem farfetched at first glance, but the ability and possibility is there. He has the skillset and an even deeper one than Duncan, though Duncan is the better flat-out shooter.
Strus also has a bit of a clutch gene about him too. Though in Summer League, he hit a big shot that he created on his own to win the Heat a game on the Circuit.
That shot was another great glimpse into why a leap could be coming. All of the things listed here are.
But, heading into a new year, his own confidence is reinforcing those notions. Here is what he had to say recently, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Max Strus on his rim-bending moment, “I finally got one in transition.” Says it was his first dunk of camp. Says he’s open to both 3-point contest and dunk contest at All-Star Weekend.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) October 1, 2021
While it may seem tongue in cheek and a bit playful, because it probably is, it speaks to a larger notion with Strus. While you want him to save his best stuff, right now at least, for the regular year, he believes that he is capable of these things and competing at a high level.
He should believe though and that’s because he is capable. Back to that “deeper” skillset than Duncan, Strus’s also comes with more athletic pop, bounce, and wiggle to his game.
All of that actual stuff, plus this kind of confidence, and all nurtured by, into, and for an Erik Spoelstra led offense and team… can only lead to great things for the guy. If he keeps working, a leap is inevitable.