Cavs’ Max Strus To Miss At Least First Six Weeks Of Season With Ankle Sprain

Cavaliers guard Max Strus missed two games of the preseason with a hip injury. He’ll miss at least the first six weeks of the season with an ankle injury — or more specifically, a right ankle sprain.

Strus suffered the injury while working out in Chicago, the site of the Cavaliers’ preseason finale on Friday night.

Strus, 28, starts at small forward and played in 70 games last season, averaging 12.2 points and shooting 35 percent on 3-pointers. He’s also one of the team’s emotional leaders.

Without him, new coach Kenny Atkinson could turn to either Dean Wade, Caris LeVert or Isaac Okoro in the starting lineup, but at this point, it’s all speculation. Atkinson has a few days to figure it out, as the Cavs open the season Wednesday with a visit to the Raptors.

The Cavs enter the season with fairly lofty expectations, as the Core Four of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen return, as does Strus and the rest of the regular rotation from last season.

As for Strus, six weeks doesn’t mean that’s his return date. It means it’s a target date and he will be re-evaluated at that time. Given the timeframe, the sprain is likely fairly severe.

While Strus is on the sidelines, the door could potentially open for Sam Merrill or rookie Jaylon Tyson to see more minutes as well. The Cavs will certainly need additional perimeter shooting without Strus on the court.

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