Boston Celtics two-way signee Max Strus went from NCAA D-II to the NBA: ‘Boston (found me), so I’m happy to be here’

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/07/boston-celtics-two-way-signee-max-strus-went-from-ncaa-d-ii-to-the-nba-boston-found-me-so-im-happy-to-be-here.html



Boston Celtics two-way signee Max Strus went from NCAA D-II to the NBA: ‘Boston (found me), so I’m happy to be here’



Posted Jul 2, 5:03 PM




DePaul guard Max Strus (31) shoots against Marquette forward Joey Hauser (22) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)


By Tom Westerholm | twesterh@masslive.com




BOSTON -- When media was allowed onto the practice court at the Auerbach Center on Tuesday after the team’s Summer League practice, Boston Celtics two-way contract signee Max Strus could be seen working on a variety of shots with first-round pick Grant Williams.

Strus worked on pull-up jumpers off one and two dribbles, 3-pointers clearly meant to mimic screen actions, and even a slithery side-step triple reminiscent of Jayson Tatum. Strus wasn’t 100 percent from the field -- the side-step 3-pointers in particular looked difficult for both he and Williams -- but the former DePaul star’s ability to shoot the leather off the ball was evident.

“What I’ve see from him so far, he’s a tough kid,” Celtics Summer League coach Scott Morrison said. “Good-looking shot. Just from the three drills that he’s been in, he’s made some good reads, he’s seems to have a little bit of a basketball IQ to him, so I’m really hoping he can get out there and play. I think it will help our team, but more importantly him from reps before the fall.”

Strus’ winding journey to the NBA is far from traditional. After averaging 19 points and nine rebounds in high school, Strus became a star at Lewis University -- a Division II school in his home state of Illinois. Strus dropped 52 points in one game, going 12-for-14 from three, and he was a Division II Honorable Mention All-American as a sophomore before transferring to DePaul.

When he arrived, Strus believed he could play professionally overseas. But after sitting out the requisite transfer season and re-entering at the Division I level as a junior, he quickly realized he could hang with all of the Big East prospects headed to the NBA.

“I’m like, ‘All these guys who are going to be NBA guys, I’m right there with them, so why not?’” Strus told MassLive on Tuesday. “I believe in myself, my coaches believe in me, and most importantly, my family believes in me, so I had the best support system, and we’ll get through anything.”

After posting 16.8 points per game and shattering 3-point records at DePaul as a junior, Strus was a second-team All Big-East selection as a senior. His 43-point outburst against St. John’s, which included an eye-popping 36 second-half points, helped raise his profile, and by the time he entered the pre-draft process, there was a small amount of sleeper buzz around his draft stock.

Strus called draft night “the longest night of my life,” but as the second round got underway, he and his agent began to resign themselves to the fact that Strus wouldn’t be selected. But the Celtics, who brought Strus in twice for workouts before the draft, loomed as a potential option, and Strus said he and his agent knew “before the draft was over, pretty much” that he would sign a two-way deal with Boston at the end of the night.

“I knew if I was going somewhere, It was probably Boston,” Strus said. “There were other teams, but this was the most heavy one, and I got a great deal out of it. Like I said, it’s an opportunity just to get my foot in the door and make a name for myself.”

Strus’ NBA potential is obvious -- he’s a sweet-shooting wing off the dribble and off the catch with good size (6-foot-6), a solid wingspan (6-foot-10), a strong frame and more than enough athleticism to hang at the next level. Unlike many rookies, Strus is 23 and more physically ready for NBA defenses.

“I think I can play right away,” Strus said. “I’m older, I’m one of the older guys out of the draft. I’m a five-year guy, so my body is ready, I think I’m physically ready for the NBA. Obviously I can learn a lot, but I think I’m ready to play right away, and hopefully they see that. I think they do.”

“I look at him and I look at a guy like Tacko (Fall), why wouldn’t someone take Tacko with the 50th pick instead of letting him slide down?” Morrison added. “... I think (Strus) is probably going to be a steal if he’s healthy. I think he’s going to get out there and be a potential 3-and-D guy in the NBA.”

Players on two-way contracts split time between their parent club and the G-League, so Strus will have opportunities at both levels. If the Celtics like what they see and want to use Strus in the postseason, they can sign him to a guaranteed deal before the end of the season to make him available.

After starting on a Division II team, going undrafted and still finding a way into the league, Strus is ready to transition into whatever role the Celtics want for him.

“To be in this position is everything I could have asked for,” he said. “I dreamed of being at this level. Going D-II, I didn’t think I would ever be here, and nobody in my family did, but I worked my tail off, got to this point, and I’m going to keep doing that and keep seeing where that gets me.”

And maybe in the process, Strus can prove some teams wrong.

“I’m hoping that after Summer League, during the year, teams are going to be regretting that they didn’t find me," he said. "Boston did, so I’m happy to be here.”



bob



.