Cleveland Cavaliers fans awaited the eventual return of veteran wing Max Strus after an offseason foot fracture kept him off the court for the vast majority of the regular season.
Since joining the Cavaliers in 2023, Strus has played a pivotal role in establishing the team's perimeter offense. He immediately elevated the Cavs' versatility, adding a dynamic 3-and-D wing to an established star core, and his Playoffs experience and veteran status gifted Cleveland a battle-tested leader in the locker room.
A long hiatus this season left fans with a lingering, subtle panic that Strus would not be the same player he was before the injury. His season debut silence much of that doubt, however, as he singlehandedly landed a barrage of threes against the Dallas Mavericks, draining six of his seven long-range attempts. Though the Cavs eventually lost the game, Strus' 24-point performance was a hopeful sign for fans ahead of the Playoffs.
In just 12 games this season, Strus averaged 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds, shooting 40.2 percent from three-point range. Offensively, Strus is just as good as before. He is still able to distribute timely passes to rolling bigs and find backdoor cuts for an easy two points. He already seems to have good chemistry with James Harden, playing off the star guard without much friction.
With the postseason now arriving, the Cavaliers will take on the Toronto Raptors in round one with the first matchup on Saturday, April 18 in Rocket Arena. Head Coach Kenny Atkinson enters the series with a healthy roster, meaning the Playoff rotation and stating lineup will finally be revealed.
Although Strus seemed like a lock for the Playoffs and starting lineup for the last two seasons, his recent production might actually signal Atkinson needs to go in another direction.
Strus is not ready for Playoff basketball
Confident shooting, smart playmaking and hustle are all skills that Strus never fails to display on the court. In fact, his shortened regular season seemingly supercharged his confidence as Strus has been knocking down shots with defenders firmly in his personal space.
Assuming a team-first mentality, Strus has hardly kept the ball in his hands for more than a few seconds at a time. Almost all of his long-range attempts have come from catch-and-shoot opportunities, of which he is hitting 41.7 percent.
Everything the Cavs could hope to see from Strus' offense is there. He is obviously an impact player. Unfortunately, his defense has taken a significant step backwards. According to Cleaning the Glass, Strus had the worst defensive on/off numbers since the 2022-23 season. Opponents scored 7.6 more points when Strus was on the court, ranking him in the sixth percentile for his position.
Last year, Strus did not see much better defensive numbers, allowing 1.3 more points per 100 possessions. His defensive shortcomings were less exaggerated, however, and his offensive firepower balanced out his overall production.
If Strus played all 82 games this season, the Cleaning the Glass would have expected 14 more games to go in the loss column for the Cavaliers than did.
Plainly, while Strus has never been a lockdown defender, he is a liability in the Playoffs this year, and the Cavs might not be able to afford that risk. His counterparts, Jaylon Tyson and Sam Merrill, are both significantly less damaging defensively. Tyson is not a top-tier defensive difference maker, but Merrill has been. With Merrill on the court, the Cavs allow 0.4 fewer points per 100 possessions, and Merrill's overall difference is a plus-5.9 points in Cleveland's favor - good for 83rd percentile.
The most likely starter in round one, Dean Wade, is once again one of the best defensive stoppers in the NBA, ranking in the higher tiers of every defensive on/off statistic and impacting offense positively, as well.
For all that Strus provides the Cavaliers, his defensive capabilities have fallen to the wayside too much for the Cavs to ignore it. Cleveland cannot afford another postseason flame out like last year, and Atkinson may have to make the decision to keep Strus on the bench unless one of his other players falls short.
On the bright side, keeping a reliable shooter like Strus as a secret weapon is possibly the most terrifying option for any opponent to face. Stopping the Cavaliers on offense only means a fully rested sharpshooter takes the court.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have to widdle down the rotation to nine players at most, and while Atkinson has proven himself a terrific coach, he has also been mildly concerning with his rotation experiments. How he utilizes Strus will likely be a defining choice of the Playoffs.
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