During his career in college and three years in the NBA, Miami Heat guard Max Strus says he has never seen anything like the ugly situation the Golden State Warriors are currently dealing with.
The biggest story in the association this week was the report, and then video leak, of a practice altercation between Warriors veteran Draymond Green and rising star Jordan Poole. The moment gave fans a unique look at how different personalities can clash in a professional sports locker room. However, following Green’s punch on Poole seen around the world, many current and former NBA players have admitted such incidents are a rarity in locker rooms.
One player who shares that belief is Heat starting shooting guard Max Strus. The DePaul alum is in the final days of preparation for the start of the NBA regular season, and on Friday he spoke with Sportsnaut about recently undergoing a procedure to have EVO lenses’ implanted into his eyes — now giving him 20/10 vision. However, during the conversation, he was asked about the recent drama in Golden State and admitted he has never personally dealt with something that serious in his career.
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“I’ve never really been a part of something like that,” Strus told Sportsnaut. “I’ve never seen that on a team I’ve been on or an organization I’ve been a part of. To be honest, I really don’t know what’s going on there. I don’t like to speak on things I don’t have full information on. … You never know what the real story is. Just trying to stay out of it, but the Warriors are a great team and have won multiple championships with that crew. I’m sure they’ll be fine [and] they’ll get over it.”
-Max Strus on Green/Poole fight
Miami Heat’s Max Strus on Warriors drama: ‘We don’t do things like that here’
While Strus can’t speak on the true nitty-gritty details of what led to the fight between four-time All-Star Green and Poole — because he doesn’t know them — one thing he does know, is that sort of stuff does not happen in South Beach. Mainly because team legend Udonis Haslem has taught his teammates better.
- Max Strus stats (2021-2022): 23.3 MPG, 10.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, .410 3PT%
“It’s tough, because like I said, you don’t know the extent of things or what really was said or what happened. But as a team, as a family, I don’t think you should ever get into a physical altercation like that. It’s okay to [verbally] fight and argue but you should never punch a teammate. These are the people you care about and go to battle with.”
“Do I think it was right? No, but I also don’t know what really happened. I’ve never been a part of that. I don’t think I ever will. And I know for a fact in Miami, we don’t do things like that here. We got a great leader in Udonis Haslem who leads us in the right way and teaches us all how to be professionals.”
-Max Struss on Green/Poole fight
The Heat and Struve completed their preseason schedule with a victory on Wednesday and will begin their 2022 regular season campaign on Oct. 19 with their home opener against the Chicago Bulls.