Miami Heat shooting guard Max Strus dismissed the idea that his main focus in the Heat’s conference finals series is getting revenge on his former team, the Boston Celtics.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel looked at how Strus’ career began with the Celtics, but how that plays no role in his current motivation.
“No,” Strus said to the Sun Sentinel during a private moment outside the Heat locker room at FTX Arena. “This isn’t about me. This is bigger than me. It’s the Eastern Conference finals. There’s no personal vendettas here. We’re just trying to win a series.”
In 2019, the Celtics signed Strus as an undrafted free agent out of DePaul University. Despite performing well during Summer League play, he was released by the Celtics in favor of fellow undrafted free agent Javonte Green.
Strus then signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls. However, in December 2019, he suffered a devastating ACL injury that brought his basketball career to an abrupt halt.
The Heat ended up taking a chance on Strus in November 2020, signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract. He showed enough promise that he was then signed to a two-way deal the following month and multiyear contract last year.
During the 2021-22 regular season, Strus started in 16 of the 68 games he played in, averaging 10.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
While those relatively modest numbers don’t jump out to the average fan, Strus has played a key part in the Heat’s success this season.
In Tuesday’s conference finals opening win against the Celtics, Strus scored 11 points on the night, notching a trio of 3-pointers. He also contributed four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Undoubtedly, the Heat aren’t overly concerned about what motivation Strus uses during his time on the court. Their main goal right now is to simply advance to the 2022 NBA Finals.
The Heat will be halfway to that goal if Strus and his teammates can win on Thursday.
