Appearing on the Link with JB podcast (YouTube link), new Clippers wing Max Strus joked that he doesn’t have a “bag” and said he prides himself on doing the “little things” that help his star teammates thrive and help his club win games.

“I used to have a bag back in college, but I don’t anymore,” Strus said. “You find what your niche is and you just go at it. I knew shooting the basketball was going to get me on the floor, and then I knew playing defense was going to keep me on the floor, and that’s kind of what I’ve done. I’m going to guard. I’m not afraid to guard anybody. I’ll guard the best player. I don’t care. They’re going to score on me because everybody’s that good. You can’t really stop anybody anyway. So it’s like, how can I make it as tough as possible on them?

“I think doing those other little things like that – rebounding, defending, making a pass, an extra pass – keeps me in the game, keeps me wired. I don’t need to shoot the ball, I’m all right. I can do other things that I know are helping the team win, (that) I know are making our best players better. That’s kind of where I’m at in my career, being a glue guy.”

After missing most of last season due to a foot injury, Strus played well upon returning in the second half, averaging 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game with a .402 3PT% in 12 regular season appearances, then registering 9.6 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 18 playoff games for Cleveland. The veteran swingman projects to play a rotation role in Los Angeles in the final year of his current contract.

Here’s more on the Clippers:

In the wake of the penalties they received from the NBA for cap circumvention, what’s next for the Clippers? Law Murray of The Athletic considers what to expect from the team on the court this season, noting that head coach Tyronn Lue will have his work cut out for him with James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and (presumably) Kawhi Leonard no longer on the roster.
Joined by Murray in a recent episode of his Game Theory podcast (YouTube link), Sam Vecenie of The Athletic made a case that the Clippers should take advantage of owner Steve Ballmer’s wealth to absorb other teams’ bad contracts in an effort to regain some draft capital. Vecenie also points out that L.A.’s cap flexibility going forward could allow the team to try to go out and land a top restricted free agent next summer. “They could do it where it’s, ‘Hey, we’re going to use our cap space next summer. We’re going to go try to steal Anthony Black, we’re going to go try to steal Scoot Henderson, or some young player like that,’” Vecenie said. “Take fliers on young guys that (they) think fit really well with Keaton Wagler. .. They have so many different ways that they can still attack this because Steve Ballmer is richer than everybody else.”
In a public Substack article, Eric Pincus takes a look at why Leonard got off very lightly compared to the Clippers for violating the league’s cap circumvention rules. Meanwhile, over at The Athletic, a series of writers answered some lingering questions from the Leonard/Clippers saga, including how the NBA was able to avoid arbitration when penalizing the Clippers.