SAN ANTONIO — The Cavs continue to be without a key piece of their championship puzzle — and it will remain that way for a little while longer.
Small forward Max Strus, who has been sidelined the last four months following offseason surgery to repair a Jones fracture (fifth metatarsal) in his left foot, has not yet started practicing with the team and remains without a firm timetable for a return.
“The timeline is what it is,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “There’s no earlier or later.”
Shortly after the operation on Aug 26, the Cavs announced that Strus was expected to resume basketball activities in approximately three to four months. Friday was the four-month mark.
Even though he hasn’t practiced — and there was always going to be an extended ramp-up process because of a lack of training camp, preseason, etc. —Strus continues to conduct individual on-court shooting workouts with movement and cutting to test the stability and pain tolerance of that surgically repaired foot.
A full practice with contact, whenever that happens, is viewed as one of the final steps before receiving clearance.
The Cavs are set to play every other day for the next three weeks, limiting the number of potential practice opportunities. Depending on how Atkinson intends to approach this crowded portion of the schedule, the next official practice may not come until Jan. 18 — a day before hosting reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City at Rocket Arena. Atkinson, if desired, could always add a full session in between game days.
This is the second consecutive season Strus has missed the early months because of injury. He sat out the first 27 games in 2024-25 because of an ankle issue and has already missed 33 thus far.
The Cavs miss him, typically pointing to his unquantifiable offensive impact — movement, cutting, shooting, spacing and gravity. And given Atkinson’s recent starting lineup change — putting De’Andre Hunter in a reserve role for the foreseeable future — Strus is expected to reclaim his starting small forward job, even if not right away because of cautious minute restrictions.
Since joining Cleveland as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023, Strus has appeared in 120 games, averaging 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 42.6% from the field and 36.4% from 3-point range. With him on the court last season, the Cavs outscored opponents by 7.9 points per 100 possessions.