Miami Heat Playoffs: Max Strus Honing In On Playoff Defense
In this particular instance, look no further than Jimmy’s infamous Middle Finger Bro, the one and only Max Strus.
Entering the starting lineup late in the year, after The Incident along the Miami Heat’s sidelines, Strus has proceeded to prove that it was the right move. Well, at least, it’s felt like that since he’s joined it.
Not only has his multipleness on the offensive side of the ball been a welcomed addition to the starting lineup, but he is beginning to show the types of defensive chops and instincts you want from a full-time Miami Heat starter.
Strus’s big thing has always been the off-ball defensive stuff, where he is tasked to monitor his assignment while also focusing, enough, on where the basketball is at that current time.
He has always been a decent on-ball defender though, whenever he is the man directly guarding the ball. However, now they are both improving.
One of the earlier examples was in a game against the Boston Celtics almost immediately after the, now infamous, sideline fracas and four-game losing streak, a team the Miami Heat had yet to beat at that point.
Max Strus proceeded to make one of the biggest plays of the game late in that one, defending a Jayson Tatum drive with great awareness and determination to make a play for his team.