Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra knows Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus very, very well.
After the Cleveland Cavaliers blew out the Miami Heat on Friday, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke about his former player, Cavaliers guard Max Strus.
Spoelstra knows Strus very, very well and wasn't surprised to see the sharpshooter go off on Friday after not playing on Wednesday.
"He's ignitable," Spoelstra said about Strus, via the Miami Herald. "And he's probably ornery when he has to sit out a game. So that's usually when he's most locked in. I kind of wish he would have played the other night. But yeah, that's certainly what he's capable of."
Strus played 23 minutes against the Heat on Friday. He finished with 29 points and eight rebounds while shooting 10-of-14 from the field, 8-of-11 from beyond the arc and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line.
The Cavaliers beat the Heat by a final score of 149-128 to improve to 46-28 on the season. Strus is averaging 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on the season. He's shooting 51.0% from the field, 48.8% from beyond the arc and 83.3% from the free-throw line.
It's impressive how good Strus has looked. After all, he missed the first 67 games of the season. It usually takes shooters time to get their rhythm, but Strus has picked up right where he left off last season.
The Cavaliers haven't advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 2018. The Wine and Gold are under immense pressure to go on a deep run in this year's playoffs after acquiring James Harden. A core of Harden, Strus, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen should not lose in the second round.
Once the 2026 playoffs start, all eyes will be on Harden and Mitchell to see how the All-Stars co-exist when the game slows down.
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