Cavs Gearing Up For Max Strus’ Season Debut

December 12, 2024

Cavaliers wing Max Strus is almost all the way back, and it’s starting to feel like it’s more of a “when” than an “if.”

After missing the first 25 games, Strus appears likely to make his season debut in Friday night’s home game against the Washington Wizards. While Cleveland won’t officially declare him in just yet, don’t be fooled — this is just the Cavs playing it safe.

The plan? Simple. Let Strus get through shootaround Friday morning and then make the final call. With three straight practices under his belt, it’s looking like a go. But before you get too hyped, don’t expect him to go full throttle just yet.

Coach Kenny Atkinson and the Cavaliers will likely ease him in with limited minutes, testing out the ankle and making sure it holds up.

Either way, Strus’ shooting and floor spacing should fit in well with what the Cavs have been doing. His return indeed could take a team with the NBA’s best record (21-4) to yet another level. He’s expected to help space the floor and bring a little more versatility to this lineup. There’s certainly never been any questions about his determination.

So, yeah, the “questionable” tag is basically just semantics.

Strus, 28, is 6-foot-5 and averaged career highs of 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists last season, shooting 41.8 percent from the field and a career-best 35.1 percent on 3-pointers. He started all 70 games in which he appeared.

Strus spent his rookie year with the Chicago Bulls, followed by three seasons with the Miami Heat, appearing in the Finals in 2022-23 after playing in all but two regular-season games.