Max Strus is the kind of knockdown shooter Cavs can absolutely use

You can’t leave Strus unattended

In the past two seasons, Strus has had 11.5 points and 10.6 points per contest in 28.4 and 23.3 minutes per contest. He’s connected on 35.0 percent and previously 41.0 percent of his three-point attempts in those seasons.

Strus is a player who has established himself as a knockdown shooter, though, despite his decrease in deep shooting traditional splits this season. His volume in the past two seasons from three-point range has been a healthy 7.0 and 6.5 attempts per game as well, which is something to keep in mind, along with his shooting reputation.

In the past two regular seasons, Strus has placed in the 83rd and 94th percentile in spot-up scoring situations, per Synergy Sports. That’s been on a frequency of 39.2 and 33.0 percent.

Strus has made his imprint in numerous playoff games during the Heat’s improbable run to the NBA Finals as an eight seed as well, and despite some variance from three, has been a key on-ball option, too, as Russo pointed out.

He’s been off in two of the three games thus far against Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the heavily-favored Nuggets, who were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, but Strus’ shooting prowess has been on display often in recent seasons with Miami.

That skill set from Strus has helped space the floor for Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and others. And while it’s been tough at times for the Heat without Tyler Herro in this playoff run due to injury, Strus and other fellow originally undrafted players Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent have picked up the slack.

But, it’s not simply the horizontal spacing element with Strus, in this case, that would make him such an alluring free agency target for Cleveland.

As Russo expressed, Strus is such an off-screen/movement shooting weapon for Miami, and with the Cavaliers, he could work so well in handoff games with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Strus has proven himself to be deadly benefiting from flares, can make shots coming off pindowns, and has excellent awareness as a relocating and transition shooter.

He has shown some pick-and-pop capabilities at times with the Heat as well, and could potentially function occasionally in that aspect with the likes of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell with the Cavs in stretches.