Max Strus has played exactly zero games for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but that has not stopped him from being labeled as the weakest starter on the team.
A recently published article from Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey titled “The Weakest Link in Every NBA Team’s Starting Lineup” has identified the recently acquired Strus as the so-called weak link in the Cavs lineup. If this seems unfair, well that is because it is. Bailey even stated that he got this designation by default. It is not ideal, but that can be the reality of evaluating a team’s starting five.
This is the tough thing when it comes to evaluating a new complementary player on an already established team. Cleveland had a very specific need this offseason and they went out and addressed it. It is not a super sexy move or an addition of a star player, but it needed to be done.
Max Strus is not going to be tasked with being a high-usage player for the Cavs. In fact, that is not why Cleveland acquired him. The Cavaliers were looking for an upgrade at the small forward position due to their previous options being underwhelming. Strus does not need to be a star, he just needs to play off of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley. And if it results in him being labeled their weakest starter, so be it.
