The Unknown Weapon of the Heat? Players Who Were Snubbed on Draft Night.The Unknown Weapon of the Heat? Players Who Were Snubbed on Draft Night.
Boston — Max Strus was a shooting guard at Lewis University, a Division II institution in Romeoville, Illinois, for two seasons until he broke some not-so-surprising news to his coach: he intended to transfer to a prominent Division I university.
It was bittersweet for Scott Trost, the coach. While he was sorry to see Strus go, he also understood that Strus was prepared for his next task.
And who’s to say if he hadn’t made that decision, he would be in his current position? stated Trost.
“And who can say if he hadn’t made that decision, he would be where he is now?” said Trost.
In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday, seven years after he transferred to DePaul and almost four years after he matriculated to the NBA G League as an undrafted free agent, Strus was making defensive stops and draining 3-pointers for the Miami Heat, who defeated the Celtics 123-116.
The most peculiar aspect of his unlikely appearance, though, may not have been that unusual, at least not for the Heat, who boast a league-high nine undrafted players on their 17-man roster. Three of those players, Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, and Strus, each scored 15 points on Wednesday.
The greatest (and tallest) order of pre-draft excitement has corresponded with the conference finals. As the NBA scouting combine got underway in Chicago on Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs secured the top choice in the draft, which is scheduled for June 22 at Barclays Center.
The Spurs will pick 7-foot-4 French adolescent Victor Wembanyama, the most highly anticipated prospect since LeBron James, barring a cosmic disaster. Wembanyama is a talented player with height, skill, and an instinct for the game; earlier this season, he actually tip-dunked his own 3-point attempt. If healthy, he may be a game-changing force for the Spurs.
Take into account that 126 undrafted players, or nearly 25% of the league, were able to sign NBA contracts this season. But according to N.B.A. Advanced Stats, no team relied on the overlooked, the sidelined, and the mistreated more than the Heat did. During the regular season, undrafted players scored a league-high 33.8 percent of the team’s points. With 24 percent of their points coming from undrafted players, the Nets came in second in that category.
Two of his greatest players, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, who has missed time due to a broken hand since the first round, were high first-round picks, according to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. Moving forward Jimmy Butler, who scored 35 points, dished out seven assists, and stole six rebounds on Wednesday, came
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