diff --git a/pkg/api/types.go b/pkg/api/types.go
index 5d814f55cf..e7777fc502 100644
--- a/pkg/api/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/types.go
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ type DeschedulerStrategy struct {
 
 // Only one of its members may be specified
 type StrategyParameters struct {
-	NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds
+	NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds *NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds
 	NodeAffinityType                  []string
 	PodsHavingTooManyRestarts         PodsHavingTooManyRestarts
 }
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/types.go b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/types.go
index 213b63fcf8..148c2c6720 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/types.go
@@ -46,9 +46,9 @@ type DeschedulerStrategy struct {
 
 // Only one of its members may be specified
 type StrategyParameters struct {
-	NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds `json:"nodeResourceUtilizationThresholds,omitempty"`
-	NodeAffinityType                  []string                          `json:"nodeAffinityType,omitempty"`
-	PodsHavingTooManyRestarts         PodsHavingTooManyRestarts         `json:"podsHavingTooManyRestarts,omitempty"`
+	NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds *NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds `json:"nodeResourceUtilizationThresholds,omitempty"`
+	NodeAffinityType                  []string                           `json:"nodeAffinityType,omitempty"`
+	PodsHavingTooManyRestarts         PodsHavingTooManyRestarts          `json:"podsHavingTooManyRestarts,omitempty"`
 }
 
 type Percentage float64
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.conversion.go b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.conversion.go
index d251ac64ab..1ecb0f2158 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.conversion.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.conversion.go
@@ -183,9 +183,7 @@ func Convert_api_PodsHavingTooManyRestarts_To_v1alpha1_PodsHavingTooManyRestarts
 }
 
 func autoConvert_v1alpha1_StrategyParameters_To_api_StrategyParameters(in *StrategyParameters, out *api.StrategyParameters, s conversion.Scope) error {
-	if err := Convert_v1alpha1_NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds_To_api_NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds(&in.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds, &out.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds, s); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
+	out.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds = (*api.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds)(unsafe.Pointer(in.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds))
 	out.NodeAffinityType = *(*[]string)(unsafe.Pointer(&in.NodeAffinityType))
 	if err := Convert_v1alpha1_PodsHavingTooManyRestarts_To_api_PodsHavingTooManyRestarts(&in.PodsHavingTooManyRestarts, &out.PodsHavingTooManyRestarts, s); err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -199,9 +197,7 @@ func Convert_v1alpha1_StrategyParameters_To_api_StrategyParameters(in *StrategyP
 }
 
 func autoConvert_api_StrategyParameters_To_v1alpha1_StrategyParameters(in *api.StrategyParameters, out *StrategyParameters, s conversion.Scope) error {
-	if err := Convert_api_NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds_To_v1alpha1_NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds(&in.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds, &out.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds, s); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
+	out.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds = (*NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds)(unsafe.Pointer(in.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds))
 	out.NodeAffinityType = *(*[]string)(unsafe.Pointer(&in.NodeAffinityType))
 	if err := Convert_api_PodsHavingTooManyRestarts_To_v1alpha1_PodsHavingTooManyRestarts(&in.PodsHavingTooManyRestarts, &out.PodsHavingTooManyRestarts, s); err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
index 37420ba135..1f14a02fc3 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
@@ -166,7 +166,11 @@ func (in StrategyList) DeepCopy() StrategyList {
 // DeepCopyInto is an autogenerated deepcopy function, copying the receiver, writing into out. in must be non-nil.
 func (in *StrategyParameters) DeepCopyInto(out *StrategyParameters) {
 	*out = *in
-	in.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds.DeepCopyInto(&out.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds)
+	if in.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds != nil {
+		in, out := &in.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds, &out.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds
+		*out = new(NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds)
+		(*in).DeepCopyInto(*out)
+	}
 	if in.NodeAffinityType != nil {
 		in, out := &in.NodeAffinityType, &out.NodeAffinityType
 		*out = make([]string, len(*in))
diff --git a/pkg/api/zz_generated.deepcopy.go b/pkg/api/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
index e046e70c15..8cae1a0713 100644
--- a/pkg/api/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
+++ b/pkg/api/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
@@ -166,7 +166,11 @@ func (in StrategyList) DeepCopy() StrategyList {
 // DeepCopyInto is an autogenerated deepcopy function, copying the receiver, writing into out. in must be non-nil.
 func (in *StrategyParameters) DeepCopyInto(out *StrategyParameters) {
 	*out = *in
-	in.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds.DeepCopyInto(&out.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds)
+	if in.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds != nil {
+		in, out := &in.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds, &out.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds
+		*out = new(NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds)
+		(*in).DeepCopyInto(*out)
+	}
 	if in.NodeAffinityType != nil {
 		in, out := &in.NodeAffinityType, &out.NodeAffinityType
 		*out = make([]string, len(*in))
diff --git a/pkg/descheduler/strategies/lownodeutilization.go b/pkg/descheduler/strategies/lownodeutilization.go
index 2208cb7de8..1673d57b51 100644
--- a/pkg/descheduler/strategies/lownodeutilization.go
+++ b/pkg/descheduler/strategies/lownodeutilization.go
@@ -46,6 +46,10 @@ func LowNodeUtilization(ds *options.DeschedulerServer, strategy api.DeschedulerS
 	}
 	// todo: move to config validation?
 	// TODO: May be create a struct for the strategy as well, so that we don't have to pass along the all the params?
+	if strategy.Params.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds == nil {
+		klog.V(1).Infof("NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds not set")
+		return
+	}
 
 	thresholds := strategy.Params.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds.Thresholds
 	if !validateThresholds(thresholds) {
diff --git a/pkg/descheduler/strategies/lownodeutilization_test.go b/pkg/descheduler/strategies/lownodeutilization_test.go
index 40f6cb4be1..7625f86ffd 100644
--- a/pkg/descheduler/strategies/lownodeutilization_test.go
+++ b/pkg/descheduler/strategies/lownodeutilization_test.go
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ func TestWithTaints(t *testing.T) {
 	strategy := api.DeschedulerStrategy{
 		Enabled: true,
 		Params: api.StrategyParameters{
-			NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds: api.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds{
+			NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds: &api.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds{
 				Thresholds: api.ResourceThresholds{
 					v1.ResourcePods: 20,
 				},
diff --git a/test/e2e/e2e_test.go b/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
index 3325ad1f8b..92e3e267f0 100644
--- a/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ func startEndToEndForLowNodeUtilization(clientset clientset.Interface, nodeInfor
 	lowNodeUtilizationStrategy := deschedulerapi.DeschedulerStrategy{
 		Enabled: true,
 		Params: deschedulerapi.StrategyParameters{
-			NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds: deschedulerapi.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds{
+			NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds: &deschedulerapi.NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds{
 				Thresholds:       thresholds,
 				TargetThresholds: targetThresholds,
 			},