The Cleveland Cavaliers are well on track to make it to the second round of the playoffs, as they have the Miami Heat on the ropes in their first-round matchup after taking a 3-0 lead courtesy of a 124-87 win on Saturday. On Monday, the Cavs have a chance to officially send the Heat packing — with Max Strus on course to bid his former team a farewell.

Strus signed with the Cavs last offseason after Cleveland saw his skillset as a missing piece to their offense; the 29-year-old excels in moving around the court, with his gravity opening up plenty for the team’s scoring attack. And while Strus seemed to be an addition that needed no adjustment period whatsoever, the 29-year-old wing needed some time to process the change that came from adapting to the Cavs’ locker room culture after spending the formative years of his career with the Heat.

The Cavs wing revealed that he was quite shocked at how immature the locker room was in Cleveland compared to when he was with the Heat; the Heat Culture was one of discipline, and the Cavs were relatively more lax. But now, Strus has seen his team grow before his very eyes as they prepare for what they’re hoping will be a championship run.

“We’ve matured a lot,” Strus said, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “It comes with the more you get around guys, the more you play together, the more experience you have. So I think it’s just after last year’s playoffs, I think guys came back this year ready and prepared. Grew up a little bit, I guess you could say. But yeah, it’s been fun watching our younger guys grow and learn and be in these positions.”

Strus and the Cavs can mature even further by taking care of business in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Heat later tonight at 7:30 PM E.T.

This Cavs team has been forged in the fires of playoff heartbreak

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It takes some time for a young team to mature, and the Cavs had to learn how to grow the hard way after falling short in the playoffs over the past two seasons. In 2023, they were punked by the New York Knicks as the Cavs couldn’t keep up with their physicality, and then in 2024, injury woes ended up being their undoing.

But this year, the Cavs team is healthy and locked in, and they’re poised to make it deep into the playoffs.