'Max is a dog. Max is nasty': Strus helping to form Cavs' new identity in 2023-24

CLEVELAND — Darius Garland can't use the words he wishes he could to describe the impact Max Strus has already had on the Cavaliers locker room and team identity. They're positive words, of course, but they aren't exactly PG-13 or printable, either.

But even with Garland having to restrain his word usage, Strus' impact has been felt nonetheless. It only took a few games.

"I can't say what I really want to say, but Max is a dog. Max is nasty," Garland said. "We really need that. He does all the little dirty stuff and gets us amped up. When we see that sneaky athleticism, he's moving around a lot, making a lot of trey balls, getting people involved. Him being out there just makes a total difference for us."

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That was the plan when the Cavs acquired him last summer and envisioned him completing the starting five alongside the core four of Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

But it wasn't all on the basketball side of things. The Cavs were in need of a shift in their team identity after last year's first-round playoff series loss to the New York Knicks. The Cavs were outmuscled, outpaced and outshot en route to a quick five-game exit.

For the Cavs, that series was a punch in the mouth, metaphorically and, in a way, quite literal. The Cavs know who they want to be aside from the obvious goal of wins and losses. But they still had to search for that path.

"It takes guys a minute to find out exactly who they are, right?" Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said when asked about the team's identity. "As coaches, we lay the foundation of what our priorities are but, at the same time, chemistry kicks in, and when the chemistry kicks in the identity becomes clear."

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Strus is playing a big part in finding it. After Sunday's win over the defending champion Denver Nuggets, he is averaging 14.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 36% from 3-point range. And he's thrown down a couple highlight-reel dunks along the way.

He's also been one of the most vocal leaders in the Cavs locker room. In that way, he's skipped the new-guy phase. He hasn't eased into anything. Strus' impact has been instant.

Much of that is the root of Strus' basketball past. He was a Division II player who worked his way to Division I. He went undrafted and had to work his way onto an NBA roster and, eventually, he became a key piece in the Miami Heat's rotation as they made a run to the NBA Finals last year.

"Yeah, I mean, his personality, the way he got to where he is, none of this stuff was just handed to him and came easy, and he's got a grit and toughness to him, and he's not afraid to speak his mind," Bickerstaff said. "He's not afraid to hold his teammates accountable. So when you have guys like that who not only talk the talk, but walk the walk and walk it more than they talk it, people are more likely to buy into them and follow them."

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The Cavs needed Strus for his shooting ability and the element of movement he adds to the floor. He's also brought his nothing-is-given mentality with him. And he hasn't been hesitant to be vocal about it.

"I haven't been a vocal leader before, but for some reason I'm older on this team, which is weird for me," Strus said. "But, yeah, I think just through my experiences that I've had young in my career, guys I think respect that and value my voice and what I've been through.

"I know the game of basketball, how it's supposed to be played. I just want to try to push that on our guys so that we play the right way every single night."

The Cavs, searching for a new identity after a playoff series that went anything but to plan, are listening.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers Max Strus helping to make impact in locker room