Should Caris LeVert or Max Strus start at small forward for Cavs?

Pros for Strus to start

Max Strus got a four-year, $63 million deal, and the Cavs had to move off from Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens to be able to acquire Strus, along with a pair of second-round picks. Losing Osman and Stevens hurts, with what they meant to the Cavaliers’ culture, but being able to get Strus out of those two players, most notably, should be worth trading the both of them.

Strus is a very talented player, and showed in Miami that he deserves to be a starter. In his 33 games that he started last season, he averaged 14.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. Also, in the 2021-22 season, he shot 41.0 percent from distance on 6.5 attempts per night.

A knockdown shooter in Strus definitely should help a Cavaliers team that shot 36.7 percent from distance, a number they’d like to improve, but is still a solid percentage. Also, considering both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have not proved themselves to be three-point shooters yet, having Strus to stretch the floor would be amazing, especially considering Donovan Mitchell’s slashing abilities.

Also, Strus is a solid secondary playmaker. 2.1 assists per game isn’t ground-breaking, but having another capable ball-mover in the starting lineup is definitely welcomed, and could definitely help Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell play off-ball more.