6:44 pm: Cleveland’s starting lineup change is official, per Pistons PR (Twitter link).
6:37 pm: The Cavaliers are expected to make a change to their starting lineup for Sunday’s do-or-die Game 7, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who reports that Max Strus is “likely” to get the starting nod at small forward over Dean Wade.
Wade, who is known for his defense, has started all six games of the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup vs. Detroit, averaging 3.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per contest. He has only attempted 14 shots in the series, but has made half of those looks (seven).
Strus, meanwhile, has averaged 10.0 PPG and 5.5 RPG while knocking down 38.3% of his three-point attempts through six games in the second-round series (29.2 MPG).
According to Fedor, there are several reasons why head coach Kenny Atkinson is opting to make the change, but offense is the primary factor. The Cavs have struggled to score against Detroit’s stout defense, which ranked second in the league during the regular season.
As Fedor writes, Atkinson has praised Strus’ impact throughout the Pistons series, praising his “energy, tenacity and defensive ball pressure.”
Atkinson made a similar change in the first round against Toronto. Wade started the first four games of that series before turning to Strus for Game 5 and 6. Wade was moved back to the starting lineup for Game 7 against the Raptors.
I feel like Strus might just be better off the bench honestly, wouldnt be surprised if he had a stinker tonight
Would rather see more minutes go to Jaylon Tyson instead, but I understand leaning on the vets.