Max Strus ( ; born March 28, 1996) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Lewis Flyers The Lewis Flyers are the athletic teams that represent Lewis University, located in Romeoville, Illinois, United States, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), prima ...

and the

DePaul Blue Demons The DePaul Blue Demons are the athletic teams that represent DePaul University, located in Chicago, Illinois. The Blue Demons participate in NCAA Division I and are a member of the Big East Conference. DePaul's Athletic Director is DeWayne Pe ...

. Prior to the Cavaliers, Strus played two games for the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

in his rookie season before signing with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

, with whom he reached the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

Early life

Strus was born in the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

suburb of

Hickory Hills, Illinois Hickory Hills is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Located principally in Palos Township, it is a suburb of Chicago. The population in 2020 was 14,505. History The Hickory Hills Country Club was founded in 1917 in the area of the ...

and is of Slovenian and German descent. He attended

Amos Alonzo Stagg High School Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, Stagg, or AAS, is a public four-year high school located at the intersection of S. Roberts Rd. and W. 111th Street in Palos Hills, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part ...

, where he was a member of the baseball and basketball teams. Although he entered his sophomore year at 5'9", he had a late growth spurt and was 6'5" by the end of high school. As a senior, Strus averaged 19 points and nine rebounds per game and was named the area player of the year by '' The Reporter'', All- Southwest Suburban Conference, All-Area by the '' SouthtownStar'' and third team All-State. After having only received one Division I offer ( Chicago State), Strus committed to play at Division II

Lewis University Lewis University is a private Lasallian university in Romeoville, Illinois, United States. It enrolls around 6,600 students in more than 80 undergraduate programs, 35 graduate programs, and accelerated programs for working adults. It is al ...

, where his older brother Marty had played.

College career

Lewis

Strus began his collegiate career at

. As a freshman, Strus averaged 13.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and started all 31 of the Flyers' games and was named second team All-

Great Lakes Valley Conference The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Its fifteen member institutions are located in the U.S. states of Illinois, ...

(GLVC). As a sophomore, Strus averaged 20.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game-all team highs-and was named first team all-GLVC and an honorable mention Division II All-American. He also set school records with 167 free throws made and 666 points scored in a single season and points scored in a game with 52 (14 for 18 shooting) against Zach Allread and

Northwood University Northwood University (NU) is a private university focused on business education with its main campus in Midland, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1959, more than 33,000 people have graduated from the institution. History Northwood Universit ...

on November 24, 2015. Following the season, Strus announced that he would be leaving the program in order to play at the Division I level. Strus scored 1,078 points in his two seasons at Lewis.

DePaul

Strus transferred to DePaul after his sophomore year. After sitting out one season due to NCAA transfer rules, Strus started throughout the season and led the team with 16.8 points per game, scoring in double figures in 26 of the 31 games he played in, and made 81 three-pointers, which was the second-most made in a season in program history. The team finished the season with an 11-20 record, 4-14 in Big East play. He declared for the 2018 NBA Draft, but returned to school for his final season. In his final season, Strus averaged 20.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.9 steals per game and was named second team All-Big East Conference. The DePaul team finished 19-17, 7-11 in Big East play and accepted a bid to the

College Basketball Invitational The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI sel ...

, where the team lost in the finals. He became only the second Blue Demons player ever to score 700 points in a season, after

Mark Aguirre Mark Anthony Aguirre ( ; born December 10, 1959) is a Mexican-American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Aguirre was chosen as the List of first overall NBA draft picks, first overall pick of th ...

with 705 points, and set single season school records for three-point shots taken (311) and made (113). In two seasons at DePaul, Strus scored 1,226 points (29th in school history), 554 three-point attempts (second), and 194 three-pointers made (third) and finished with the fifth-highest free throw percentage at .825 (226-274).

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (2019–2020)

After going undrafted in the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible p ...

, Strus was named to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

Summer League roster. He averaged 9.8 points per game and shot 45 percent from three for the Celtics. On July 22, 2019, Strus signed a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...

with the team. On October 13, 2019, the Celtics announced that they had signed Strus to a standard NBA contract in order to sign

Tacko Fall El Hadji Tacko Sereigne Diop Fall (born 10 December 1995) is a Senegalese professional basketball player for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He has previously played in the National Basketball Assoc ...

to one of the team's two two-way roster spots. The roster move put Strus in direct competition with Javonte Green for the final spot on the Celtics' opening day roster. He was ultimately cut shortly before the start of the regular season. After being waived by the Celtics, Strus signed a two-way contract with his hometown

on October 22, 2019. Strus made his NBA debut on November 22, 2019, against the

, playing the final five minutes of a 116-108 loss and scoring five points with one rebound. On December 23, 2019, the

announced that Strus suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and bone bruise on his left knee in an

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

game for

Windy City Bulls The Windy City Bulls are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and are affiliated with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls play their home games at Now Arena, from Chicago. It became the thirte ...

in a 92–85 win over the

Lakeland Magic The Osceola Magic are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Kissimmee, Florida, and are affiliated with the Orlando Magic. The Magic began play in the 2017–18 season as the Lakeland Magic, and now play their ho ...

on December 21 and Strus was expected to be sidelined for about eight to twelve months. Strus ended his rookie season with five points scored in two NBA games played and averaged 18.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists in thirteen G League games.

Miami Heat (2020–2023)

On November 30, 2020, Strus signed a training camp contract with the

. The Heat converted his contract to a two-way contract on December 19, 2020, towards the end of training camp. On February 11, 2021, he came on in a game against the Rockets and scored 21 points on 5 of 8 three point shooting. On August 1, 2021, Strus joined the Heat for the

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

and five days later, he signed a two-year contract worth $3.5 million to remain with the Heat. On April 14, 2023, Strus scored 31 points against the

after a loss against the Hawks in the play-in game. Short one point of his career-high, he and

Jimmy Butler Jimmy Butler III (born September 14, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Jimmy Buckets", he is a six-time NBA All-Star, a five-time All-NBA Te ...

combined for 62 points in a 102-91 win, sending the team to the 2023 playoffs. On May 6, Strus scored 19 points during a 105–86 Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 3 win against the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

. On June 1, Strus finished scoreless after going 0 of 10 in a Game 1 NBA Finals loss against the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. Strus struggled in the Finals, where he averaged only 5.8 points a game on 23% shooting as the Heat lost the series in 5 games.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2023–present)

On July 6, 2023, Strus signed a 4–year, $63 million contract with the

in a sign-and-trade agreement. On October 25, 2023, Strus made his Cavaliers debut, putting up 27 points with seven three-pointers made and 12 rebounds in a 114–113 win over the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

. His seven three-pointers made were the most achieved by a player in a debut in Cavaliers history. On February 27, 2024, Strus scored 21 points in a 121–119 win against the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

. In the span of 67 seconds late in the fourth quarter, Strus made five three-pointers including a buzzer-beating, game-winning shot from 59 feet. It was the second longest game-winning

buzzer beater In timed sports, a buzzer beater is a successful shot made as the clock expires at the end of a period or at the end of the game, leaving zero seconds remaining. A buzzer sounds whenever a game clock expires, hence the name "buzzer beater." In b ...

since 1979, and Strus became the fourth player in the last 25 years to connect on five three-pointers in the last four minutes of a game. On October 19, 2024, the Cavaliers announced that Strus would miss the beginning of the season due to a right ankle sprain suffered in individual workouts during the preseason. He was held out for 6 weeks. Strus had already missed two preseason games from a right hip contusion.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 0 , , 3.1 , , .667 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, 39 , , 0 , , 13.0 , , .455 , , .338 , , .667 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .3 , , .1 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 16 , , 23.3 , , .441 , , .410 , , .792 , , 3.0 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .2 , , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 33 , , 28.4 , , .410 , , .350 , , .876 , , 3.2 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .2 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, 70 , , 70 , , 32.0 , , .418 , , .351 , , .794 , , 4.8 , , 4.0 , , .9 , , .4 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 50 , , 37 , , 25.5 , , .442 , , .386 , , .824 , , 4.3 , , 3.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 9.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 309 , , 156 , , 25.5 , , .427 , , .368 , , .812 , , 3.4 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .2 , , 10.4

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 0 , , 2.9 , , .000 , , , , , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 18 , , 18 , , 29.0 , , .374 , , .331 , , .722 , , 4.1 , , 2.1 , , .8 , , .4 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 23 , , 28.1 , , .402 , , .319 , , .800 , , 3.6 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .3 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 12 , , 36.1 , , .408 , , .347 , , 1.000 , , 5.3 , , 2.9 , , .8 , , .0 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 9 , , 28.1 , , .416 , , .388 , , .833 , , 5.7 , , 3.9 , , .7 , , .2 , , 11.7 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 64 , , 62 , , 29.1 , , .395 , , .339 , , .796 , , 4.2 , , 2.2 , , .6 , , .3 , , 9.8

College

NCAA Division I

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", DePaul , 31 , , 31 , , 35.6 , , .408 , , .333 , , .803 , , 5.7, , 2.7 , , 1.3, , .5 , , 16.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;", DePaul , 35 , , 35 , , 37.4 , , .429 , , .363 , , .842 , , 5.9 , , 2.2 , , .9 , , .5 , , 20.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 66 , , 66 , , 36.6 , , .420 , , .350 , , .825 , , 5.8 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 18.6

NCAA Division II

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;", Lewis , 31 , , 31 , , 28.8 , , .521 , , .352 , , .773 , , 5.3 , , 2.2 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;", Lewis , 33 , , 33 , , 36.2, , .455 , , .360 , , .823 , , 8.4 , , 3.5 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , 20.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 64 , , 64 , , 32.6 , , .479 , , .357 , , .807 , , 6.9 , , 2.9 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , 16.8

Personal life

Strus's father, John, played college baseball as a pitcher for Eastern Illinois and his mother, Debra, played basketball and volleyball at DePaul and was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. His older brother, Marty, also played basketball at Lewis and is currently the head coach at Stagg High School. He also has an older sister, Maggie, who played college volleyball at the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...

and is currently an assistant volleyball coach at DePaul. Known as ‘The Concept’ by many NBA fans online.

References

External links

Lewis Flyers bio

DePaul Blue Demons bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strus, Max 1996 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from Cook County, Illinois Chicago Bulls players Cleveland Cavaliers players DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball players Lewis Flyers men's basketball players Miami Heat players Shooting guards Small forwards Undrafted NBA players Windy City Bulls players