Heat’s Strus, Vincent, Yurtseven gaining respect around the league. How they can tell
The newest minted members of the Heat’s developmental program might have caught the league by surprise initially, but no longer.
How do Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Omer Yurtseven sense they have become known commodities, players worth more than a single sentence on an opponent’s scouting report?
Their eyes tell them. And in Max Strus’ case, his ears, too.
“The opposing coach is saying ‘Strus! Shooter! Shooter!’” said Strus, who’s shooting 40.1 percent on three-pointers this season and averaging 10.7 points. “They’re starting to know who I am. It’s nice to hear.”
Vincent can relate. During his second NBA game in 2020 (against the Clippers), “I made my first three threes in a row and their bench was mad as hell. They’re like, ‘Why didn’t we know he was a shooter?’”
As Vincent has continued to evolve as a savvy playmaker and dangerous three-point shooter these past two months, he notices “the way teams guard [me] is different. They don’t necessarily say anything differently. But if you make a shot, they’re like, ‘Why did you leave him open?’
“When we have guys out, I’ve shown I can be more aggressive and be productive. Teams know that now. They’re more aware of it, especially based on lineups, who they have guarding me.”
And if they don’t pay attention to him?
“When they physically show disrespect and you take advantage of it, that’s [satisfying],” he said.
While praising how Yurtseven “plays with a ton of energy,” Charlotte coach James Borrego last week acknowledged Strus’ and Vincent’s development, too.
“The two guards, their ability now to put it on the floor, get to the rim and make plays for themselves or others [is evident],” he said. “It starts with their ability to shoot the ball.”
Meanwhile, after producing 14 consecutive double-figure rebounding games filling in for Bam Adebayo earlier this season, Yurtseven has noticed a renewed emphasis by coaches to limit his production.
The biggest change?
“They realize I crash the offensive glass a lot more than an average guy,” Yurtseven said. “They were bringing an extra guy whenever I’m going to the rim. That’s an adjustment I have to make: do my work earlier where the guard cannot even get to me and I have the position in front of the other guard.”
Yurtseven said teams have also “figured out I’m a good passer as I’ve kept on playing. It’s about making sure the big pressures the ball so I can’t make an easy pass.”
Yurtseven has flashed a deft touch around the basket — relying often on a hook shot — but sees two areas of development for his offensive game: 1) Polishing his three-point shooting and gaining Spoelstra’s trust to shoot it. (He’s 1 for 7 this season.) and 2) Hitting the face-up jumper 15 feet from the basket or at least have opponents respect that enough to keep them off balance.
“Bam [Adebayo] does it a lot,” Yurtseven said. “The face up rips toward the rim where I use my body to shield the defender off. I think that’s the next progression when I face up. If I have a shot, I go for it. Maybe a running hook. If not I go back to the back-down game.
“Having the option to face up where teams are not able to keep nudging me because they can’t have two hands on me when I face up.”
For Vincent, it’s no coincidence that he has improved his passing skills and his floor game after studying Kyle Lowry and playing alongside him.
“He makes the game easy,” Vincent said. “I’m constantly learning from him, whether I’m watching film session or on the bench watching him play or on the court with him. We both can handle, both can play off the ball. When we’re on the court, we can take advantage of all those opportunities.”
Borrego said it’s clear that Yurtseven, Vincent and Strus “are all high-level players. They look like they understand their role No. 1. They clearly defined what that is. They play with great energy on the defensive end of the floor. They compete at a high level, every one of them. That’s clear watching film.
“Their ability to catch and shoot the ball adds to the spacing of the floor. They’ve added tremendous value. They open up the floor for a number of their players. They look to me more confident. And decision making has become more and more complete for all three of them.
“They’re not rattled when they touch the ball. It’s clear. That comes out of their program. Give Miami a ton of credit.”
This story was originally published February 21, 2022 at 5:38 PM.
