3 Free agents Knicks could steal from NBA Finals teams

2: Max Strus

The Miami Heat are just the second eight-seed to ever reach the NBA Finals, the only other being the 1999 New York Knicks. They’ve done so with heroic performances by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, while head coach Erik Spoelstra has essentially cemented himself as the best in the league.

They’ve also gone on this run due to the contributions from their entire rotation, with players such as Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry getting chances to shine. They have weathered Tyler Herro’s injury, with shooters like Duncan Robinson taking on an increased load.

Another such shooter is Max Strus, who has consistently hit shots that seemingly break any momentum that opponents had been building before him pulling up. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in July.

The former undrafted player now has two straight seasons of quality shooting, hitting 41% of his 6.5 attempts per game last year and connecting on 35% of his 7.0 attempts per game this year. Strus’ ability to combine high volume and accuracy is something the Knicks definitely could have used in the playoffs.

Max Strus’ postseason numbers speak for themselves

According to NBA.com, Strus is shooting 40.5% on “open” threes these playoffs (closest defender 4-6 feet away) and shooting 46.2% on “wide open” threes in the postseason (closest defender 6+ feet away).

Only defensive specialist Miles McBride shot over 40% on “open” threes for the Knicks this postseason, and not a single player in the blue and orange hit over 50% of their “wide open” threes.

Strus’ defense and ball-handling could both use some work, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that he provides exactly what the Knicks need the most around Jalen Brunson.