Is Heat’s Max Strus past three-point shooting slump? Strus confident ‘it will all turn around’

Max Strus is known to be his own worst critic.

So during the longest three-point shooting slump of Strus’ NBA career, the Miami Heat’s 26-year-old sharpshooter found it hard not to be hard on himself. After all, he was shooting just 19 of 77 (24.7 percent) from beyond the arc during an 11-game stretch from Dec. 2 through Friday.

“It’s not easy at all. It’s tough,” Strus said. “But that’s the business I chose to work in, that’s the life I chose. There’s beauty in struggle, so just try to find it and just remain positive and try to come out of it on the other side.”

The Heat and Strus hope he reached the other side in Monday night’s 113-110 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves at FTX Arena, when he totaled a team-high 19 points on 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) shooting from the field and 5-of-10 (50 percent) shooting from three-point range. It marked the first time Strus has made more than three three-pointers in a game since hitting five threes in a Nov. 30 loss to the Boston Celtics.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra knew Strus would eventually start making threes again, but he was most encouraged that Strus still attempted seven threes per game during his 11-game slump to stay right around his season average of 8.1 three-point attempts per game. Spoelstra also noted that Strus’ shooting struggles didn’t impact other areas of his game.

“He continues to play his game. He continues to shoot his shots. He continues to be aggressive,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat (17-17) set to close its four-game homestand Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Sun). “That’s what you want to see from guys. I’ll always remember that Ray Allen told me every year he would go through a five-, six-week stretch where he just couldn’t see the ball go in.

“Sometimes the ball just won’t go in for shooters, especially when everybody expects you to make those kind of shots. At the end of the day, that’s still 23 to 26 feet away. It’s not as easy as it looks from the outside and you have to stay with what you do and you still have to produce in other areas and Max has been very stable defensively and he’s helped us with winning basketball, regardless of whether the shots go in or not.”

Strus admits it can be easy to pass on a few three-point attempts when they’re not going in at the usual rate, but “that’s what’s going to make it worse.”

“So you got to try your best to try not to and just continue to fire away,” said Strus, who is playing for his next contract as an impending 2023 free agent. “Then there’s everybody here telling you to shoot every single time, so just continuing to believe in yourself and believe in that and things should work out.”

That’s because Heat coaches and players know how important Strus’ three-point shooting is to the team’s offensive formula. It’s not a coincidence that the Heat’s offensive rating is down from 113 points scored per 100 possessions last season (ranked No. 12 in the NBA) to 109.8 points scored per 100 possessions this season (ranked 26th in the NBA) as the Heat’s three-point percentage is also down from a league-leading 37.9 percent last season to 34.1 percent this season (ranked 24th in the NBA).

Strus plays a big role in those numbers, as Tyler Herro is the only player on the Heat’s roster who is attempting more three-point attempts per game than him this season. After shooting 41 percent on 6.5 three-point attempts per game last season, Strus is shooting 33.5 percent on 8.1 three-point attempts per game this season.

“Just got to believe in the work that you do,” Strus said. “Last year, I didn’t have a slump. I’m still doing the same things. It’s just the ball is not going in the basket. So try to remain doing the same things. It’s more mental than it is physical, honestly. It’s just about trying to keep a positive mindset through it all and continue to do the work, continue to stay on the same track and don’t get lost in it.”

Heat guard Kyle Lowry has seen Strus consistently put in the work behind the scenes whether shots are going in or not in games.

“He’s just continued to be ready and he’s stayed ready and he always works,” Lowry said. “If you know Max, he literally shoots every day, he shoots every game day, he works out. He worked out on Christmas. He got shots up on Christmas and he just continued to work. A guy like him, they don’t forget how to shoot. It’s just sometimes you get rushed looks and side contests, but a guy like him is always going to be able to make shots and I have the confidence that he will.”

As far as the type of looks Strus is getting, he’s taking more open three-point shots this season than last season, according to NBA tracking stats. After shooting 40 percent on 3.2 open three-point chances per game (defined as those when the closest defender is four to six feet away) last season, he’s shooting just 32.3 percent on 4.2 open three-point attempts per game this season.

Strus confirmed those numbers to be true, noting that “I’ve been getting great looks. It will all come into fruition. It will all turn around.”

It’s hard to explain Strus’ regression so far this season, but Spoelstra offered his theory last week when he pointed to the different roles Strus has had to play because of the Heat’s injury issues. While opening the season in a bench role, Strus has started in 19 of the 32 games he has appeared in this season.

“It’s not an excuse, it’s just a reality,” Spoelstra said. “With the moving parts, we’ve shifted Max’s role like three or four different times this year and it is hard for shooters to have great rhythm and flow when just the foundational role is changing a lot. Now we have empathy and understanding about that. I think as we’re starting to get healthier, I think that role clarity will help.”

Strus will not accept that. He doesn’t want to make an excuse for his shooting slump, he just wants to continue making threes as he looks to put those struggles behind him.

“I’m not looking for any excuses,” Strus said. “That’s not who I am or what I’m about. So that has nothing to do with it. I just got to play my game and continue to do what I do, and everything will work itself out.”