Max Strus offers team-first message on coming off the bench after starting every game last season

Cleveland Cavaliers sharpshooter Max Strus has had a unique 2024-25 season so far.

He missed the first 27 games of the season due to injury, and while he was able to return to action in December, he hasn’t gotten a starting nod yet, instead coming off the bench in all nine of his appearances this season.

But Strus has still played an important role for the Cavs as a reserve, and according to the man himself, he doesn’t care whether he’s starting or coming off the pine. He just wants to help the team win.

Last season, Strus started every game he played in for the Cavs. The plan was for him to remain a starter going into this season, but the 28-year-old going on the shelf forced head coach Kenny Atkinson to try some different lineups. Players like Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro have gotten lots of starts this season. Lately, it’s been Wade starting alongside top players Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

Now, Atkinson has to decide how he wants to utilize Strus going forward. It’s no guarantee that Strus will remain in a bench role — he could certainly find himself starting at some point. But for now, he has done a nice job as a reserve.

Across his nine appearances, Strus has averaged 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from deep. His 3-point shot — arguably the most valuable part of his game — has looked more lethal this season after he shot 35.1 percent from long range last season.

As long as the Cavs keep winning, it may be best for them to avoid messing with a good thing. They’re 33-4 through 37 games this season, putting them on pace to tie the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for the best regular-season record in NBA history. Cleveland has looked like a new team in its first season under Atkinson.

The Cavs won’t play on Saturday but have a game scheduled for Sunday against the Indiana Pacers, which will give Cleveland a chance to pick up its 13th win in a row.