Koby Altman On Max Strus' First Season With Cavaliers

Koby Altman says Max Strus "thinks he can do better" for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Apr 30, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) reacts after being called for a foul during the second half against the Orlando Magic in game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Max Strus was the Cleveland Cavaliers' key addition last offseason. The Wine and Gold knew that they needed more shooting and floor spacing after this weakness was exposed against the New York Knicks in the postseason.

Those needs led them to Strus who made a name for himself in the league as an excellent three-point shooter. Cleveland went on to acquire him from the Miami Heat in a three-team trade.

Strus had a solid regular season averaging 12.2 points (career-high) while shooting 35.1 percent from the floor on 6.8 attempts a game. However, he did leave some to be desired in the playoffs averaging just 9.5 points while shooting 34.7 percent from behind the arc.

President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman spoke about Strus’ impact last season and revealed that he’s the first person who thinks he can have a greater impact next season and that he’s not content with where the team finished the season.

“Max had the best year of his career statistically. If you ask him, he thinks he can do better,” said Altman at Friday's media availability. “He thinks he can shoot better. There are things he wants to do better from a playing standpoint.”

May 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) reacts after making a three-point basket against the Boston Celtics in the second quarter of game four of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

While Altman stressed that Strus wants to be better moving forward, he did provide the Cavs with some unaccepted playmaking ability that was a welcome addition. 

“I didn't know about the playmaking,” continued Altman. “We thought we were getting a basketball player. We didn't know that he was going to have the best year of his career from a statistic standpoint — passing, rebounding, and defense.”

Strus having this mindset after a statistically good season is the exact mentality the Cavs need to have as a team if they want to get farther in the playoffs.