The Miami Heat will need all that they can get from their reserve guys in the coming days, the near future with Bam Adebayo down for some time, and in their next two games immediately.
On a two-game road trip to Indiana and Milwaukee without Jimmy Butler along for the ride because of a tailbone injury sustained against Chicago, the Miami Heat will have to try to find a way to get it done in two hostile environments.
That’s where it will be imperative for guys to step up.
The entire big man rotation has to do more anyway with Bam Adebayo out, perhaps even forcing Head Coach Erik Spoelstra to call on KZ Okpala and Omer Yurtseven.
Along with Tyler Herro though, who is surely going to keep up his rampage through the defenses of the league, you need Kyle Lowry to step it up a notch with the shot-making. Gabe Vincent has been providing a nice scoring punch and you love to see him hitting his shots.
He’s what some might call a two-way guy now, getting to his offense after studying Avery Bradley’s defense last season. They aren’t alone in the need to keep bringing all they have though.
Miami Heat: They Need The Best Out Of Max Strus Now
Caleb Martin has been a revelation, a sparkplug of energy that the Heat have needed. You could see it from a mile away if you followed his college and early pro career in the slightest bit.
You need Duncan Robinson to find his shooting again, having his worst pro season by a long way, but that is something that has been discussed ad nauseam and not the topic here. Here is the guy that is though and the guy that needs to keep stepping up in a major way too.
That would be Max Strus. With all the opportunity in the world before him right now, as the Miami Heat need what he can do, his time has to be now.
He has the game to be a high-level impact offensive player for the Miami Heat and without a lot of their firepower in the lineup, he has to show it. Though at a lower level, he’s been doing it since his DePaul days.
More than just the shooter that some see him as and that the Duncan Robinson comparisons might allow for, Max has all the game in the world. He can get it done off the bounce, off the spot-up, on multiple levels, at the rim, with finesse, with a little power, with athleticism, and all very effectively.
This isn’t just something he used to be able to do though. He’s shown it, somewhat, on this level too.
Miami Heat: Max Strus Has A Ton Of Game And They Need It All Right Now
Max Strus has shown you what he can do on the court in the big leagues. He’s scored double-digits in his last three games and five out of his last seven appearances.
There were two DNPs stuffed in there for some reason and that’s something else to discuss, but yea. When he’s played, he’s delivered.
He has a bit of the takeover and clutch genes about him too. Here is a performance that a lot of diehard Miami Heat and NBA fans might remember.
It’s a showing from the NBA Summer League this past summer. Max Strus took over a game to bring the Miami Heat back and had his hands all over it.
Being down 21-7 at one point in the first period, Strus led the Heat all the way back. In fact, he closed the door himself in a sudden-death double overtime scenario.
Here it is in case you missed it. If you are familiar, just relive this glory.
Plain and simple, they need this Max Strus. They need these types of showings from him.
They’ll certainly need this type of confidence without Bam for a while and without Jimmy Butler for the next few games if they hope to win the most of them, but it’ll go a long way towards the ultimate goal too.
Having a guy with this ability to pair beside other high-level and elite reserves like Tyler Herro, Dewayne Dedmon, and others is a weapon for the Miami Heat—when they are whole and right. As of now, it’s a necessity and they need Max Strus’s time to be now.