Chicago native Max Strus, the Heat’s outstanding undrafted pick, shares some of his stories today…
On the morning of December 21, 2019, Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen called his staff for a routine meeting. The Bulls with a current record of 12-19 need room to adjust in a hurry. At that time, the Bulls coaching staff chose to find available young players from the Development League. After the Windy City Bulls played against the Lakeland Magic, Boylen announced plans to recall the two-way rookie Max Stress. The Bulls program provides development opportunities for children born locally.
Strus didn’t get too emotional about the news, he continued to focus on his training; on what he could control. The Windy City Bulls coach believes ignorance leads to happiness. Unfortunately, that night, Strus was completely paralyzed with his knee because he did a Eurostep against a defender. A night that was the catalyst for Strus’ career led his entire dream racing towards a fall.
“I think this is the end of the road,” Strus told The Athletic. “You don’t know if your time is up or if you’re going to get another chance. I knew from the beginning how difficult it was to get a chance.”
Rarely does an NBA career begin at Division II Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, then spend a year on the sidelines repairing a torn ACL. A fringe prospect could be years ahead of the scouting community. That fall, the 23-year-old Strus was cut from the Celtics’ training camp. The Bulls didn’t show much interest in Strus or welcome him in pre-draft sessions, yet the sudden opportunity to start his career in his hometown of Chicago, despite being cut short by injury, was also is a saving advantage.
Where is Strus now, a solid starter for the Miami Heat. The Heat signed Strus 11 months after his injury, and he has gone from rotation fringe to Miami’s mainstay. “I find myself a little more comfortable here,” Strus said. “But I have to pick myself up pretty quickly and get back into the mindset of expressing gratitude and being happy to be here every day because that’s what got me here.”
Interestingly, Strus made his NBA debut against the Miami Heat, who were also interested in his impressive ability to move the ball and run around screens.
And remember that before the draft, Strus participated in a pre-draft training program held by several G League coaches who took a trip to Florida in the spring of 2018. Although Kevin Knox and other lottery rookies were assisted by agents ace, in the face of huge fees, Strus’ father is still obliged to pay the fee for his son’s dream.
As a kid who dreamed of being in the NBA, you have to at least try
In that training program, Strus showed his true qualities as a high efficiency shooter among the five teams. And when Strus asked for honest feedback, several coaches told him they saw the next Joe Harris, albeit a second-round pick, trying to mold himself into the Brooklyn Nets’ leading dangerous shooter.
Now it seems that Strus’ height is much better than Joe Harris. However, in his early days as a student, the Chicago area itself was a major basketball city, so it was difficult for him to be recognized by scouts due to the large number of talents. In the end, only one Division-I school , the little he was known to Chicago State University (Chicago State), was ready to give him a scholarship. In this case, Strus chose to go to Lewis University second level to sharpen. In the second year, Strus excelled in the second grade, averaging 20.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Because of his outstanding performance he was not only selected as the first team of the year in the division, but also was nominated as the first team of the Division-II in the United States.
The good performance in the second level also led the first level school to find him again. Later, Strus chose DePaul University. Due to NCAA transfer regulations, he had to sit in the ball for a year. Known in the big five divisions, but there is still a long way to go from the dream.
“It was like the last step,” Strus recalled before the draft. But his stellar senior season didn’t lead to a draft pick, but Strus joined Boston on a two-way deal for summer league and training camp — and the margin looked as wide as an ocean. He shot 45% of his three-pointers in four games in July, and his good performance also earned him a training camp contract and he was brought into the preseason by the Celtics.
It’s a shame he wasn’t still on the Green Army opening season roster. Brad Stevens finally left the two way contract spots for Tacko Fall and Javonte Green. He was reimbursed for the season and only played two games in Chicago in his rookie year , he appears to be a player about to be replaced by the flood of NBA competition.
