Where did Max Strus go to college? Taking closer look at Miami Heat guard's background

Max Strus has been one of the Miami Heat's unsung heroes during their amazing run to the NBA Finals as the No. 8 seed. Strus is one of seven undrafted players on the Heat's postseason roster.

The 27-year-old swingman declared for the 2019 NBA draft after ending his career at DePaul University. However, he went undrafted and had to sign a two-way deal with the Boston Celtics. He was released before the start of the 2019-20 season but made his debut for the Chicago Bulls.

A knee injury sidelined Strus for most of his rookie season before he was eventually waived by the Bulls. He signed for the Heat during the 2020-21 season, signing a two-year, $3.5 million contract in the summer of 2021.

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Max Strus' collegiate career

Max Strus playing for DePaul

Max Strus started his collegiate career at Division II Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.

Strus spent two years at Lewis before transferring to DePaul University at the end of the 2016 season. He scored more than 1,000 points for the Flyers, including a school-record 666 points in his second season.

After sitting out the 2016-17 season due to his transfer, Strus became a key part of the Blue Demon's rotation. He averaged 18.6 points per game for DePaul, which is the fourth-highest in the school's history. He's also third in 3-point makes, fifth in free-throw percentage and 29th in points.

Strus is also just the second player in the programme's history to score at least 700 points in one season, joining Mark Aguirre in the record books. He earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 2018.

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Max Strus went cold on NBA Finals debut

Max Strus of the Miami Heat

Max Strus was unable to find his stroke in his NBA Finals debut on Thursday against the Denver Nuggets. Strus was in the starting lineup and played 21 minutes in the Miami Heat's 104-93 loss in Game 1.

The DePaul product had an ice-cold shooting night, going scoreless after missing all of his shot attempts. He was 0-for-10 from the field, including nine missed shots from beyond the arc.

The Heat played Game 1 just three days' rest following their triumphant Game 7 win over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. The altitude in Denver certainly didn't help either, as Strus was not the only player to struggle with his shot.

Caleb Martin, the hero in Game 7, only had three points on 1-for-7 shooting from the field. Duncan Robinson also had three points, while Haywood Highsmith and Gabe Vincent picked up the slack with 18 and 19 points, respectively.