“It was nice to see that I was wanted by them, which I never had in my NBA career.” Despite not having anything bad to say about his time with the Miami Heat, Max Strus felt from the start that he would have a special relationship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Having scored 21 points in his debut with the franchise, and then going on to average 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4 assists over the 2023-24 season, the 28-year-old made it clear that the Cavs made the right choice in acquiring him. Unfortunately, the wish for the player to replicate his earlier success has now been complicated due to an ankle sprain.

Now, a recent update carries bad news for any Cavaliers fan who wanted to watch Strus drop his threes right from the season opener. ESPN insider Shams Charania broke the news that Max Strus is set to miss six additional weeks of on-court games in light of his right ankle injury. The player’s return after the time period is not fully guaranteed, since he will only be reassessed by the end of it. Having earlier missed two preseason games due to a hip contusion, Strus’ unavailability for an additional period does not bode well for his franchise.

According to reports, Max Strus developed the ailment while engaging in an individual workout session back on October 17. An initial assessment and MRI had revealed the severity of the injury, and the decision was made to keep him out of the Cavaliers’ recently held final preseason game against the Chicago Bulls. Due to the earlier right hip contusion, the player only ended up playing the Cavs’ preseason debut game against, ironically, the Chicago Bulls. Having made 0 points in that game too, the entire preseason has now gone by without the player meeting the expectations that Kenny Atkinson had set upon him.

A few weeks ago, Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland touched base on a few strategies that the franchise’s head coach was looking to implement in his new role. For the opening 5, Atkinson reportedly wanted Strus to place emphasis on the shots from afar, as Garland revealed, “Kenny’s a big three-point attempt guy. So, we try to get as many threes as we can. Try to get out in transition, walk-up threes. He’s been on me and (Donovan Mitchell) about those in transition as well. Even Max (Strus) when he’s open.”

While his average 2.4-6.8 (35.1%) three-pointers during the previous season could have been better, the 168 shots that went in were the second-highest amongst his team members, right behind Donovan Mitchell. Therefore, the absence of a reliable three-point shooter for a six-week period may cost Kenny Atkinson and the Cavaliers right from the start.

Fortunately, keeping the bloom of Max Strus’s update aside, Cleveland currently does not have any other major player listed on its injury report. This leaves a couple of options on how the franchise can move forward without its shooting guard.

How will the Cleveland Cavaliers go forward without Max Strus?

According to reports, Max Strus’s absence will provide additional responsibility for Dean Wade and Georges Niang on the offensive front. Wade had already been placed as Strus’s replacement during the preseason. In the three games that Strus didn’t play, the forward recorded 9, 5, and 14 points against the Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, and Chicago Bulls respectively. Meanwhile, Georges Niang averaged 7.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists during his 4 appearances in the preseason. Together, they can cover Strus’s absence for the foreseeable future.

Sam Merrill had been ruled out of the final preseason game against the Bulls due to a wrist injury. However, reports indicate that he will be available during the season opener. Having averaged 40.4% from deep in his 61 appearances last season, he can cover for Max Strus in regards to shooting from the field. However, he only started in 1 game last season, and Kenny Atkinson may not choose to put him into rotation for every game.

Having lost all 4 of their preseason games, the Cleveland Cavaliers need to make a good regular season start to instill confidence in their fans. Whether they can do this without Max Strus is a question that will only be answered in due course.