Chicago Bulls: Max Strus adds interesting volume scoring guard presence

Down the road, there could be a nice addition for the Chicago Bulls via the last two-way contract slot with 6-foot-6 guard Max Strus.

The final two-way contract slot for the Chicago Bulls some anticipated would be used to add wing depth. But the Bulls did use the first two-way contract spot to fill up the wing depth a bit with French shooting guard Adam Mokoka. There isn’t much beyond that down with the G-League affiliate Windy City Bulls, though.

The Bulls used that much-discussed final two-way contract slot to sign the former DePaul two-year guard and Boston Celtics Las Vegas Summer League guard Max Strus. Since the Bulls were successful in using two-way contract slots in the past to get rotation players that are legitimate NBA-level contributors, this is a big move for the front office.

If you can give John Paxson and Gar Forman credit for anything of what they’ve done in the past 10 or 12 years, it is scouting. They draft pretty well, especially in the first round, which is evident with the way power forward Lauri Markkanen and point guard Coby White look to turn out thus far.

During his two seasons at DePaul, Strus averaged 18.6 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. His player efficiency rating stood at 18.9 and he finished with 8.2 career win shares. He also received All-Big East honors for his efforts in averaging more than 20 points per game as a sophomore last season.

After his time with the DePaul basketball program was up, Strus went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft. He promptly signed a two-way contract with the Celtics thereafter. He would compete with them throughout the Vegas Summer League and the preseason. That’s where he was waived and then picked up for the final two-way contract slot by the Bulls.

Strus stands at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds and is a 23-year-old native of Illinois. So this signing makes a bit of sense since the Bulls usually make the move to sign players that are natives near the Windy City.

What Strus brings to the table for the Bulls is a potential wing player or a two guard in a smaller lineup that can spark the scoring with his floor spacing and efforts on both ends of the floor. He registered 9.75 points per game, 2.75 rebounds, and 2.0 assists during the Vegas Summer League and also shot 45 percent from three-point range in that stint.

Moreover, while Strus only played in four games for the Celtics in the preseason and totaled 20 points, there were significant areas where he made a positive impact. He shot 45.5 percent from downtown in the preseason, which continued his hot streak from Summer League. He was also a net positive on both ends of the floor in the preseason.

During his sophomore season at DePaul, Strus also shot a decent clip from the field and from beyond the arc. He improved his three-point shooting to a mark just above 36 percent. He also finished out his sophomore campaign shooting around 43 percent from the field and better than 84 percent from the charity stripe.

All in all, the Bulls pulled in a lot of intrigue with their two contract slots for two-way players from the offseason. Strus was a good addition that could contribute for the NBA rotation down the road. It wouldn’t be the first time the Bulls pulled that feat off of developing a two-way contracted player into a solid NBA contributor.

The scoring presence that he could bring to the G-League and the fact that he could eventually be a wing or two guard contributor in the NBA shows that the Bulls might have a nice find here. Strus is one of the more unheralded names the Bulls could’ve signed in this two-way contract slot, but it does make a lot of sense given their track record of late.