Cleveland Cavaliers was hounded by injuries to key players all throughout the 2023-2024 season and looks like the same will happen when the NBA restart kicks in.
The Cavs announced that three-point threat Max Strus will be out for six weeks after sustaining a right ankle injury during a workout session.
Strus, as the team confirmed, is being slowed down by a hip injury this pre-season. He specifically incurred the injury when he tried to draw a charging foul against Chicago Bulls’ Matas Buzelis in their October 8 pre-season encounter.
The 28-year-old shooting guard has been a steady contributor for the Cavs since joining the team at the start of the 2023-2024 season from the Miami Heat. He averaged career best 12 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 4.0 apg in 70 games in his first season at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
It is a familiar territory for the Cavs as the team was plagued by injuruy, too, last season to the point that they never got their footing. Four of the starters – Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarett Allen – were in and out of the line-up. The team finished in fourth place of the Eastern Conference and ultimately, it was also injuries that ended their season at the hands of the Boston Celtics in the second round.
Who should take Max Strus’ role?
New head coach Kenny Atkinson has a headscratcher in front of him. The starting line-up looks healthy for now but the depth chart could use some improvements.
Isaac Okoro is the team’s starting small forward but with his reliever in Strus gone out for more than one month, Atkinson could turn to the likes of Caris LeVert, Dean Wade, and Emoni Bates who for now is also on the injured bay.
The problem lies, however, on their ability to space the floor as Strus is the team’s best 3-point shooter.
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