Max Strus to be reevaluated in six weeks with ankle injury

The Cavaliers will be beginning their season without their starting small forward.

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced on Saturday evening that they would be without starting small forward Max Strus for at least six weeks due to a right ankle sprain. Strus exited the preseason opener with a right hip contusion that kept him out the following two preseason games.

Strus then injured his right ankle during individual workouts on Thursday. An MRI and X-ray confirmed the seriousness of the injury. He will be reevaluated in six weeks. The six-week timeline would have Strus being reassessed at the very end of November.

Kenny Atkinson will need a fill-in for Strus for at least six weeks. He’s already tried a couple of different replacements during the preseason. Sam Merrill was the first sub for Strus when he was injured in the second quarter during the first preseason game against the Bulls. Dean Wade started the third quarter with the starters. Caris LeVert got the nod for Wednesday’s exhibition against the Detroit Pistons. Wade started in the preseason finale. There’s also the possibility that Isaac Okoro could fill this role as he was the starting small forward during the 2022-23 season.

Losing Strus is a blow for a team that performed well when he was on the court last season and poorly when he was off. This showed through in their 5-7 record without Strus last season. Strus finished last year averaging 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4 assists with .418/.351/.794 shooting splits in 70 starts.