The Cleveland Cavaliers are having an excellent start to the 2024-25 season. Through 25 games, they are 21-4, 1.5 games ahead of the Boston Celtics for best record in the NBA. New head coach Kenny Atkinson has installed a winning culture for the Cavaliers right from the get-go.
Cleveland has been playing so well that it can be easy to forget their starting small forward has been out all season. That is likely to change rather soon though. Max Strus is reportedly in line to return to the court on Friday for the Cavaliers.
Cavaliers Starter Expected To Make Return On Friday
Max Strus Is Expected To Return On Friday
On October 17, 2024, Strus sustained a sprained right ankle in individual workouts. It was reported soon after that the 28-year-old small forward was expected to miss at least six weeks of action.
This upcoming Thursday will have been eight weeks since the ankle injury occurred. Strus could be back right after that eight-week mark. According to Grant Afseth of RG.org, it is expected that Strus will be available to play on Friday against the Washington Wizards.
The Cavaliers acquired Strus in the 2023 offseason in a sign-and-trade deal with the Miami Heat (San Antonio Spurs were also involved in the trade). Strus joined Cleveland on a four-year deal worth $62.3 million dollars to join a team that was in need of outside shooting. They had lost in five games in the opening round of the 2023 playoffs to the New York Knicks.
In his first year with Cleveland last season, the 6-foot-5 Strus was in the starting lineup for all 70 of his appearances. Playing 32.0 minutes per contest, he posted averages of 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. Those were all career-highs for Strus in what was his fifth season. He shot 41.8% from the field, 35.1% from beyond the arc, and 79.4% from the foul line.
Strus went undrafted out of DePaul in 2019. He appeared in just two games for the Chicago Bulls in 2019-20 before becoming yet another “diamond in the rough” find by the Heat. Utilized as a part-time starter during the two previous seasons with the Heat, Strus started all 23 games in the 2023 playoffs for Miami. They reached the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Denver Nuggets in five games.
Will He Jump Right Back Into The Starting Lineup?
Strus was again expected to be a part of Cleveland’s starting five before getting hurt shortly prior to the regular season tipping off. Dean Wade started the Cavaliers first seven games at small forward as well as their last two contests. Isaac Okoro has started 14 games for Cleveland at the three. He has missed the last two games with a knee injury.
There is a good chance that when Max Strus returns, he will begin on a minutes restriction. The team may decide to ease his way back before inserting him as a starter again. Other than Strus, the Cavaliers have enjoyed a mostly healthy season. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen have combined to just miss three games total.
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