The playoffs ended the last two games today, with the Timberwolves comfortably winning 120-95 against the Thunder and eventually entering the playoffs as No. 8 in the West, with the No. 1 Nuggets in the West in the first round. In the East, the Heat won 102-91 against the Bulls and entered the playoffs as No. 8 in the East, facing the Bucks in the first round.
Heat and Bulls this game, the Bulls side today LaVine is inaccurate, in the last game of 39 points today only 15 points today, once said to keep the Lakers out of the playoffs and led the Bulls to the playoffs Beverley shot 0 of 4 today, did not score, the Bulls' most stable link is DeRozan, today he scored a team-high 26 points.
On the Heat side, Jimmy Butler was powerful today, shooting 11 of 24 and scoring 31 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, Hiro was inaccurate, only 5 of 12 shots today, 0 of 5 three-pointers, and scored 12 points, Adebayo did not contribute much on the offensive end today, shooting only 1 of 9 and scoring only 8 points, but he also had 17 rebounds and 4 assists.
Today's Heat victory is another hero, that is, Strus, today Strus felt hot 16 shots 8, three-pointers 12 7, to know that the Heat team today a total of only 7 three-pointers, the whole game Strus cut 21 points and 6 rebounds, especially in the final stages of the game, his three-point and three free throws, helped the Heat kill the game.
From a lost draft, but now a key member of the Heat's rotation, Strus has completely established himself in the NBA, averaging 28.4 minutes of playing time this season, during which he can get 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists, and his three-point shooting rate this season is 35%, which is the fourth point in the Heat after Butler, Adebayo and Hilo.
As a white shooter, it is really not easy to get a foothold in the NBA, after 4 seasons in the NBA, Strus has reached the peak age of 27, and he currently executes a 2-year, $3.42 million base salary contract with the Heat, and the salary of this contract this season is not guaranteed, but Strus with his excellent performance, let himself stay with the Heat, and then let the contract turn into full security. After becoming a key player in the Heat this season, Strus may be next on a bigger, more consistent contract.
From a fringe player in the NBA to a winner and loser within the Heat, Strus's basketball career has been tough, but it's still the point of view that even marginal figures in the NBA are star players in college and high school. The same goes for Strus.
In high school, Strus was a double student of basketball and baseball, entering college, he was not particularly outstanding, but in the second to third year of high school, his height soared, from 1.75 meters to 1.98 meters in one year, so he completely chose basketball, and in his senior season he averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds per game, which is not particularly outstanding in high school, and he did not receive any invitations from basketball schools after graduating from high school.
In the end, he chose to join Lewis University in the NCAA Second Division, where Strus began to make his mark, especially in his sophomore season, averaging 20.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, and was the team's top player. With his outstanding performance, Strus transferred to DePaul University the following season, but due to the NCAA's transfer rules, Strus could not immediately represent DePaul University after the transfer.
After a period of precipitation, Strus averaged 16.8 points per game, and after the season, began to dream of the NBA, but in the 2018 draft, he was not selected, unfortunately he returned to school, and the following season averaged 20.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 steals per game. During his two seasons at DePaul University, Strus set a school record of 311 three-pointers and 113 three-pointers in a single season.
He ran again in '19, but this time no team was willing to throw him an olive branch in the draft, and after losing, Strus continued to seek opportunities to enter the NBA and get a chance to play in the summer league with the Celtics. During the summer league season of '19-20, Strus averaged 9.8 points per game and shot 45 percent from three-point range, after which he signed a two-way contract with the Celtics but did not get a chance to play.
After leaving Boston, the Bulls in his hometown offered him a two-way contract, and on November 23, 19, he made his NBA debut against the Heat, in that game Strus scored 5 points and 1 rebound, Strus who tasted the feeling of being in the NBA was not satisfied, he trained desperately to get the opportunity to play again, but in the Development League game in December of that year, Strus suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury. The Bulls didn't choose to keep him after the season, even though he averaged 18.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in the Development League.
After leaving the Bulls, Strus gained the favor of the Heat, he first signed a training camp contract with the Heat, then signed a two-way contract, and began to establish himself in the Heat, because the Heat have been very weak on the offensive end in the last two seasons, they are very optimistic about Strus's projection and scoring ability, and they are very needed, so the two sides hit it off, and now Strus's performance proves that the Heat are not looking at the wrong person.
It may be difficult for the Heat's roster and the overall strength of the team to do much against the Bucks this season, but after this contract expires, Strus, who has been in the NBA for 4 years, may not worry that there is no team in the NBA to ask for himself.