The Miami Heat have found another hidden gem in Max Strus

The Miami Heat has found another hidden gem in Max Strus. 

The Miami Heat has seemingly done it again; they’ve found another hidden gem that is a big part of the team’s success this season – even more considering that the team’s two top stars, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, have missed a combined 37 games.

It hasn’t been the stars this season for the Heat; it’s been their supporting cast that has kept this team among the top 4 in the Eastern Conference. While the jump of Tyler Herro and the addition of Kyle Lowry will get all the headlines, it’s hard to ignore what the Heat has found in Max Strus, perhaps the next great hidden gem that this franchise has found.

Miami has been one of the best franchises at finding hidden gems, whether that be in the second round of the NBA Draft or those that fall through the cracks and don’t even get drafted. Either way, it seems as if the Heat, nearly every season, knows how to identify and develop such players.

In recent memory, the list of hidden gems that the Heat has unearthed is as follows: Hassan Whiteside, Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson, Rodney McGruder, Kendrick Nunn, and, most recently, Duncan Robinson. I think it’s time to add Max Strus to that list.

Strus went undrafted during the 2019 NBA Draft and played two games for the Chicago Bulls before the Heat gobbled him up and inserted him into their development program. In just his second season with the Heat, Strus has already carved out an important role for the team and has started four games for the team this season.

In 28 games played this season, Strus is averaging 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game on 47 percent shooting from the field and, most importantly, 41 percent shooting from 3-point range.

Where Strus’ value has weighed more is when it comes to Robinson’s struggles. In fact, Strus is the team’s second-best 3-point shooter behind PJ Tucker but has become essential for this team. And I’m not sure where the Heat would be this season had it not been for the emergence of Strus.

Strus has his shortcomings on his defensive end and isn’t the best playmaker offensively, but he’s certainly a weapon that has quickly become valuable for the Heat this season.

When Miami needed it most, they have found another hidden gem that has made Robinson’s struggles this season manageable. How they continue to do this is beyond me, but Strus is another name that will only get more and more notoriety as he continues to improve and as his role with the Heat grows.