The Miami Heat are just the second eight-seed to ever reach the NBA Finals, the only other being the 1999 New York Knicks. They’ve done so with heroic performances by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, while head coach Erik Spoelstra has essentially cemented himself as the best in the league.
They’ve also gone on this run due to the contributions from their entire rotation, with players such as Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry getting chances to shine. They have weathered Tyler Herro’s injury, with shooters like Duncan Robinson taking on an increased load.
Another such shooter is Max Strus, who has consistently hit shots that seemingly break any momentum that opponents had been building before him pulling up. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in July.
The former undrafted player now has two straight seasons of quality shooting, hitting 41% of his 6.5 attempts per game last year and connecting on 35% of his 7.0 attempts per game this year. Strus’ ability to combine high volume and accuracy is something the Knicks definitely could have used in the playoffs.
Only defensive specialist Miles McBride shot over 40% on “open” threes for the Knicks this postseason, and not a single player in the blue and orange hit over 50% of their “wide open” threes.
Strus’ defense and ball-handling could both use some work, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that he provides exactly what the Knicks need the most around Jalen Brunson.
the Denver Nuggets</a> facing off against the Miami Heat. Both teams have obviously been successful due to their stars stepping up as well as excellent coaching, but they’ve also been supported by top-notch play from their entire postseason rotation.</p>
<p>Miami and Denver will both have a fair amount of players hitting free agency this summer, and there’s a good chance that they’ll have to let a few walk. If that happens, here are three players that New York should try to sign.</p>
<h2>3 free agents the Knicks could steal from both NBA Finals teams</h2>
<h3>3: Jeff Green</h3>
<p>Despite Hart’s free agency, the one Knick whose future in the Big Apple is the murkiest happens to be Obi Toppin. While the 25-year-old didn’t have a bad year and even produced some postseason highlights, he’ll be hitting restricted free agency next summer without any real avenue to a larger role with Julius Randle still in town.</p>
<p>Instead of waiting until next year to watch him walk for nothing, the front office could attempt to trade him and recoup some value for a player that likely won’t stay in New York long-term regardless.</p>
<p>The Knicks could replace him by adding a cheap veteran, which is where Nuggets forward Jeff Green comes in. The journeyman has spent well over a decade in the association, one of only two active players to have worn a Seattle Supersonics jersey.</p>
<p>He’ll have over 100 postseason games logged by the time the Finals are over, starting in 23 of them.</p>
<p>Green averaged 7.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game for Denver this year, shooting 49% from the field. He only hit 29% of his threes, but he connected on 36% of his triples from 2019-22 so this seems more like an aberration than the norm.</p>
<p>He’ll be 37 years old at the start of next season, although he’s remained an above-average defender who’s also capable of incredible feats of athleticism.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">JEFF GREEN DUNKED ON GIANNIS 💥 <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"https://t.co/PUaLOFt1yP">pic.twitter.com/PUaLOFt1yP
<p>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1639825014127206402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 26, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>Green would be a much cheaper replacement for Toppin in the event of Obi’s departure, and his postseason track record combined with his ability to still be productive in his late 30s would both be a major boost to the Knicks’ bench.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A three-point shooting specialist </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_144145" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-144145" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1837,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1445046564-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1837" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1445046564-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1445046564-768x551.jpeg 768w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1445046564-1536x1102.jpeg 1536w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1445046564-2048x1469.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Max Strus, Miami Heat. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) – New York</p>
</div>
<h3>2: Max Strus</h3>
<p>The Miami Heat are just the second eight-seed to ever reach the NBA Finals, the only other being the 1999 New York Knicks. They’ve done so with heroic performances by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, while head coach Erik Spoelstra has essentially cemented himself as the best in the league.</p>
<p>They’ve also gone on this run due to the contributions from their entire rotation, with players such as Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry getting chances to shine. They have weathered Tyler Herro’s injury, with shooters like Duncan Robinson taking on an increased load.</p>
<p>Another such shooter is Max Strus, who has consistently hit shots that seemingly break any momentum that opponents had been building before him pulling up. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in July.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Max's 7th 3 of the night gives us a 5-point lead. LOOSE. <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"https://t.co/m2OpRmnug8">pic.twitter.com/m2OpRmnug8
<p>— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1647049669745278978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>April 15, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>The former undrafted player now has two straight seasons of quality shooting, hitting 41% of his 6.5 attempts per game last year and connecting on 35% of his 7.0 attempts per game this year. Strus’ ability to combine high volume and accuracy is something the Knicks definitely could have used in the playoffs.</p>
<h2>Max Strus’ postseason numbers speak for themselves</h2>
<p>According to <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"https://www.nba.com/stats/players/shots-closest-defender-10?TeamID=1610612748&SeasonType=Playoffs&CloseDefDistRange=6%2B+Feet+-+Wide+Open%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com</a>, Strus is shooting 40.5% on “open” threes these playoffs (closest defender 4-6 feet away) and shooting 46.2% on “wide open” threes in the postseason (closest defender 6+ feet away).</p>
<p>Only defensive specialist Miles McBride shot over 40% on “open” threes for the Knicks this postseason, and not a single player in the blue and orange hit over 50% of their “wide open” threes.</p>
<p>Strus’ defense and ball-handling could both use some work, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that he provides exactly what the Knicks need the most around Jalen Brunson.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A dynamic shot-creator who can help run the offense </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-144149" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1707,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1479050340-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1479050340-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1479050340-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1479050340-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1479050340-2048x1366.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Gabe Vincent, Miami Heat. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) – New York Knicks</p>
</div>
<h3>1: Gabe Vincent</h3>
<p>While Strus carried his regular season play into the playoffs, point guard Gabe Vincent has elevated his output on the brightest stage. He averaged 9.5 points and 2.5 assists per game in the regular season on 40-33-87 shooting splits. In the postseason, he’s putting up 13.4 points and 3.9 assists each night on 41-40-89 splits.</p>
<p>After <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/05/06/knicks-semifinal-playoff-nightmare-worse-immanuel-quickley-injury/">Immanuel Quickley’s injury</a>, the Knicks didn’t have any secondary ball handlers that could run the offense when Brunson sat. This led to a slew of turnovers generated by Miami’s stout defense and was a major reason why New York fell to the Heat in six games.</p>
<p>Vincent’s shooting is his bread and butter, but he’s also a surprisingly stout defender and improved playmaker despite being listed as 6’3″. If Thibodeau were to open up his rotation to ten players, a small-ball bench backcourt of him and Quickley would torch opposing units.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a dime by Gabe Vincent 😮💨</p>
<p>(via <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@NBA)
pic.twitter.com/X2vveRvnKH
<p>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1661183371794341888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 24, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/03/3-free-agents-knicks-steal-both-nba-finals-teams-green-vincent-strus/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>At 26 years old, Vincent won’t be cheap and there’ll likely be a large market for him in unrestricted free agency. There are legitimate questions as to whether the Knicks would have enough to sign him after a Josh Hart deal. His fit on the current roster is undeniable, though.</p>
<p>The Knicks front office is watching the Finals closely, monitoring the roster makeup of the most successful teams in the league while also potentially stealing a free agent or two. Their courtside appearance in the playoffs last year wasn’t just a coincidence, as they signed Jalen Brunson a few months later.</p>
<p>If they can re-sign Hart and end up with any of these three free agents, New York would have a successful offseason regardless of any superstar trade.</p>
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