After the Cleveland Cavaliers identified a key need after last season's early playoff exit, they pulled off a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat for forward Max Strus.
Strus made a name for himself down in South Beach for his stellar three-point shooting and hustle. Flash forward to the 2024 All-Star Break, and the player the Cavs acquired has shown flashes of who he was in Miami while also taking a step back in some respects.
For one, Strus' three-point shooting has come in waves. He's currently shooting 36% from behind the arc on eight attempts per game. You can't expect a player who shoots the ball that much to hit every single shot. But the fact that the Cavs acquired Strus for his long-range ability and he's shooting a career-low from deep is a reason to be slightly concerned.
It's also important to note that streakiness such as this isn't uncommon with players who shoot a high volume of threes. It's the nature of the role.
However, there's one thing that Strus has shown he's capable of doing which, hand up, I was not expecting when Cleveland brought him in over the summer. Max has established himself as a legit defensive presence, which has done wonders for the Cavaliers as a team.
Strus currently has a defensive rating of 112.2, which ranks top-20 in the entire NBA. He's also averaging career-highs of 1.0 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. All of this effort has helped the Cavaliers have the second-best defensive rating in the NBA (110.3).
While the three-point shooting has been inconsistent, Strus has still been able to find a way to be a major contributor to this team. It may not be the way Cavs fans or the team envisioned, but let's not get so focused on one area of Strus' game when he's proven to have multiple layers to it.
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