Heat’s Max Strus knows his defense will continue to be tested in playoffs: ‘I’m ready for it’
Miami Heat starting forward Max Strus is very aware of what opponents think about his defensive ability, but he doesn’t necessarily believe they’re right.
“I know they’re going to pick on me defensively because they think that’s a flaw of mine,” Strus said to the Miami Herald. “But I’m going to make that a strength to help us.”
Entering Game 1 of the Heat’s second-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night at FTX Arena, Strus is off to a solid start.
With the Atlanta Hawks often testing Strus’ defense by running actions to get him switched onto their best offensive players such as Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic in the first round, he was able to hold his own more often than not with the aid of the Heat’s defensive system that always has multiple bodies ready to help around the on-ball defender.
The 76ers will try to do the same, working to get Strus switched onto their best perimeter scorers such as James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris.
“I like it. I hope they keep coming at me because I think I can guard,” Strus, 26, said prior to the start of the Heat’s second-round series. “I’m ready for the challenge. I’m not going to back down from it or run away from it. I know there’s somebody they got to go at, and I hope they keep going at me because I’m ready for it.”
With the Hawks trying to go at Strus, a team-high 18.3 percent of his defensive possessions were spent defending an isolation in the first round, according to NBA tracking stats. Strus allowed 0.85 points per possession in those situations in the series, which ranks in the NBA’s 52nd percentile.
That’s an acceptable number for Strus, considering the amount of isolations he defended and the fact opponents believe that’s a winning proposition for them.
“That’s just a make-or-miss thing,” Strus said of those 1-on-1 situations. “You try to force them into what they don’t like to do. But at the end of the day, they’re good players. They’re doing that for a reason because they think it’s an advantage. I just try to make it as tough as possible. They’re going to make some. But I do it knowing that I have four great defenders behind me. They always got my back, and I’m just trying to do my part to have theirs.”
As part of a Heat starting lineup that also usually includes Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, P.J. Tucker and Bam Adebayo, Strus is the obvious choice for opponents to pick on. Lowry, Butler, Tucker and Adebayo are above-average defenders, and Adebayo and Butler each have a strong case to make one of the NBA’s All-Defensive teams.
With the help of those quality defenders, the Heat posted an elite defensive rating of 94.7 points allowed per 100 possessions with Strus on the court in the first round. For perspective, the NBA’s top defense in the regular season (Boston Celtics) allowed 106.2 points per 100 possessions.
“There have just been a lot of reps and work at it behind the scenes,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Strus’ growth on that end of the court. “Also, everybody has a very similar game plan against us. I think those live reps in games against virtually every single opponent that we’ve played against during the regular season has helped us. But it certainly has to be a team defense.”
Strus’ sturdy 6-5 and 215-pound frame and athleticism help him, but it’s his improved understanding of offensive schemes that has allowed him to grow as a defender since first signing with the Heat prior to the 2020-21 season.
“Just knowing the game,” Strus said. “It’s just seeing the floor, seeing things before they’re going to happen. It’s just starting to pick up on things the more you start to see them. The more you play, the more you pick up on things. I’ve just picked up on things way faster than I have in the past.”
Strus, who went undrafted in 2019, averaged 20.1 points per game as a senior at DePaul. He has always been known as a scorer, and his primary job with the Heat is still to space the floor and shoot threes.
But Strus knows his defense is important because opponents will to try to take advantage of that part of his game. He welcomes the challenge.
“I never really had to be in a position to guard throughout my career in college and things like that,” Strus said. “I’ve always been asked to score the ball. So it’s something that I’ve definitely taken more personal and tried to get better at. I think I have made strides, have gotten better and improved in the past year or so.”
RIVERS’ RESPECT FOR RILEY
They are on opposite sides in this series, but 76ers coach Doc Rivers did not hide his admiration for Heat president Pat Riley when speaking to reporters prior to Monday morning’s shootaround session at FTX Arena.
Rivers, who played two-plus seasons with Riley as his head coach with the New York Knicks from 1992 to 1994, said Riley “clearly had the biggest impact on him” when it comes to sparking his interest in coaching.
“It’s not even close. I had no thoughts of coaching until I played for Pat Riley,” said Rivers, who is in his 23rd season as an NBA head coach and his second with the 76ers. “The way he did it, I was like that’s pretty cool.
“He inspired me. He really did. Just his speeches and his belief and conditioning, which I was always in pretty good shape anyway. He has you believing that you’re different than everybody else in the league. ... It’s his spirit and the way he approaches the job that sets him apart.”
INJURY REPORT
Lowry will miss his third straight game on Monday with a strained left hamstring.
Lowry is the only player unavailable for the Heat in Game 1. Butler, Tyler Herro (respiratory illness), Strus (right hamstring strain), Tucker (right calf strain), Caleb Martin (left ankle sprain) and Markieff Morris (non-COVID illness) will all play on Monday despite being listed as questionable.
The 76ers will be without All-Star center Joel Embiid in Game 1 because of a right orbital fracture and mild concussion.
This story was originally published May 2, 2022 at 11:39 AM.
