The Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 1-1 with Max Strus back in the lineup this season, but this time, the win came in spite of his performance, to some degree. The veteran sharpshooter certainly had some timely buckets. However, the Cavaliers' competitive 123-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks was largely fueled by the other sources.
Strus finished the game with six points, six rebounds, and four assists in 23 minutes off the bench. That part of the equation was not all too bad. It was not his explosive debut on Sunday, but there was value to be found there. Where Strus struggled was on defense. The Cavaliers vet admitted as much on the postgame show with Serna Winters and Austin Carr.
Strus said: "Couldn't get a stop. I'm like a traffic cone out there, but we'll figure it out. ... We're adding new pieces like me and guys coming back from injury. So, it's going to take time to get our rhythm and our flow together. We got a good three-week stretch here to find that, and I think we will."
The defensive side of the equation will be absolutely crucial for Strus and the Cavaliers to figure out. His ability on the back end will answer major questions regarding how Kenny Atkinson can deploy his team moving forward.
Max Strus needs to hit his stride defensively for the Cavaliers
Questions about how Strus will look on the offensive end should be a lot more straightforward to answer. His ability to space the floor and keep himself moving on the perimeter will allow him to be an impact player around the Cavaliers stars.
Can the same type of complimentary basketball be played on defense?
One of the reasons Dean Wade has been able to fit so well with the starters is his versatility in guarding multiple positions and giving the Cavs a guy who can do the dirty work defensively. Strus has shown an ability to do the latter for Cleveland before.
The 28-year-old wing does not have some of the size advantages that Wade does on defense, but at his best, Strus could be counted upon for strong point-of-attack defense. The Cavaliers need that once more. It would allow them to consider his reinsertion into the starting lineup.
Conditioning will always be one of the tougher things to bring back up to speed after a major injury. Being a cone on defense, in Strus' words, should have a lot to do with that.
Eventually, those issues are expected to go away. When they do, Strus sounded excited to hit that next level and give the Cavaliers the player they remembered him being on both ends of the basketball court.