This is an interesting case to look back on. How did we let Max Strus get away? It is interesting in that in once case (Waters) we kept the player that was too small and in the other, we kept the player that was too big (Fall). Clearly the team did not see how much Strus was going to improve. A couple of other teams didn't either. I am guessing that they felt that Fall or Waters was more rare, Strus, a mid-sized not so athletic wing, was easier to find. Fall for sure. He had the potential to be the rarest of basketball commodities. And Waters, a potentially really good back up PG, is probably a little more rare than a wing.
In the end, Strus was the one that actually did improve and turn into an actual NBA player. Fall and Waters did not. Most fringe 2-way level players end up like Fall and Waters. Very few end up like Strus. It does seem to be happening more and more but it is still a small percentage. 2-way contracts and the G-League may be giving these later bloomers more of an opportunity.