Max Strus Isn't Only Establishing A Cavs Two-Man Game With Evan Mobley
Coming into Cleveland Cavaliers training camp, there was a lot of talk surrounding Max Strus establishing a connection with Evan Mobley. Akin to what he was able to do with Bam Adebayo in Miami, the duo has grown with every game in learning each other.
But Mobley isn’t the only Cavs big man that Strus is getting close to. Since returning to the floor, Jarrett Allen has displayed a noticeable cohesion with Cleveland’s new swingman and it’s been a seamless process.
“I'm learning both of 'em. They are two unique individuals. They're both very different,” Strus said after Friday’s practice. “But we've built a connection together and it's only gonna keep getting better. We just need reps. It's been pretty good when we've had the opportunities to do it, so the more we do it, I think the better it's gonna be.
“It's a constant everyday thing to talk about it and what they see and what I see. Just get feedback from each other and just keep growing and getting better from it.”
Thus far in the 10 games they’ve played together, you’ve seen Strus hitting Allen in the pocket on dives to the rim and lobs to the big man coming off screens. In the last three games, Strus has recorded six assists to Allen in the paint, and four of those came in the thrilling win over the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime.
Nov 21, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) drives against Philadelphia 76ers forward Nicolas Batum (40) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Inversely, Allen is looking for Strus on handoffs and on the outside for threes, passing out of the roll. Those may not result in assists, but it gets the offense engaged and moving.
“Just chemistry,” Allen said of what it’s taken to build a good on-court relationship with Strus. “You have to have good chemistry to have a good two-man game like that. I can tell when Max wants to shoot the ball, so I can get it to him at a certain step when he takes it, trying to get him downhill. Just learning how he likes to get the ball and doing how he does it.”
“Just getting comfortable doing it. It's not necessarily the spots,” Strus agreed. “Just how we want the ball delivered to each other and what we're comfortable with.”
The more Strus and Allen get used to each other, the better for the Cavs as a whole.
