When the Cleveland Cavaliers moved heaven and earth to sign Max Strus over the summer, the hope was that they have found their permanent starting small forward. Well, six games into the season and Strus has been trotted out as Cleveland's starting 3 every night. He's also given the Cavs exactly what they need from him with a massive increase in 3-point attempts.

Strus has consistently stretched out opposing defenses, giving Cleveland's slashing guards and stable of big men plenty of clean looks at the basket. But, when pressed on his shooting acumen after a home loss to the Indiana Pacers, Strus didn't want to be known strictly as a perimeter threat.

“I don't really categorize myself as a shooter,” said Strus. “I know I've gotten paid for that, and that's kind of what I've been. But I pride myself on doing a lot of other things. I think you guys will hopefully notice that and I don't think I'm a one-dimensional shooter and that's all I can do. I just try to play the game the right way and have fun doing it. I just love playing basketball, and I want to win. Whatever that is, I try to do it and help this team in whatever way we need.”

Strus' comments will certainly raise eyebrows, considering he's taken the most 3-pointers on the Cavs this season. But, when you look at his entire body of work and the story behind his averages of 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists, it becomes pretty clear: Strus isn't just a shooter.

And like J.B. Bickerstaff once said, it's a disservice to his overall ability as a basketball player.

Max Strus has unlocked the Cavs' offense

Max Strus, Max Strus free agency, Max Strus Heat

There are nights when Strus' shot won't fall despite so many wide-open looks. It's already happened several times this year, with Strus going 0-5 from 3-point range against the New York Knicks and only connecting on a triple once against the Knicks at home and the Indiana Pacers on the road. Despite this, his presence alone is naturally creating spacing for his teammates, but more impressively, he's creating looks through his passing as well.

In six games, Strus has assisted on 19 of Cleveland's made field goals and generated 46 points from his passing. In simpler terms, Strus might be only averaging 3.2 assists per game, but he is creating an additional 7.7 points per game from his passing. When you factor that in with the playmaking and passing abilities of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert and even Evan Mobley, it makes the Cavs even more dynamic on the offensive side of the ball.

“I've watched Max for some years now so I kind of knew Max's game,” LeVert told ClutchPoints. “I knew he wasn't just a shooter. But he's been great off the bounce, making the right plays at the rim. He's made lob passes. He's made the pass to a guy circling back up. He's made floaters off of pick and rolls. He's making all the right plays.

“That's huge for us to have another quote-unquote playmaker out there with Don and DG and myself. He can make the right play as well as hit spot-up threes that make it harder for defenses to guard. He's been great.”

Max Strus has showcased a knack for moving the rock and keeping Cleveland's offensive attack free-flowing. He also has been crashing the glass, something he attributes to playing with bigs like Mobley and Jarrett Allen, which limits opponents another opportunity to score.

Strus was never expected to be a star-caliber signing, but he has emerged as a vital role-player on offense for the Cavs. As Cleveland continues to get healthy and gel as a unit, things will only get better, especially with Strus already having such a rock-solid start to the year.