Max Strus is ‘awfully close’ to returning

Strus participated in practice Wednesday and could be making his season debut soon.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be coming out of their mini NBA Cup “bye week” as they face the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Utah Jazz in four days starting on Friday. Right now, they’re unsure if Max Strus or Isaac Okoro will be available for those games.

Strus hasn’t played yet this season, but his return to the lineup appears to be close. He was a full participant in practice on Wednesday which is a good sign that his return could be soon.

“It’s really more feedback from him,” said head coach Kenny Atkinson when asked what he needs to see from Strus after practice Wednesday. “How does he react from today’s high? [It’s] not about what I saw today but how does he feel tomorrow? When does he feel comfortable, the medical team feel comfortable? We’re awfully close [to his return].”

Strus should fit into how Atkinson wants this offense to look. His movement shooting will help, but it’s his off-ball cutting that has Atkinson most excited.

“He looked great,” Kenny Atkinson said about what he saw from Strus in practice. “I got to get to know him better, but his cutting, I’m really excited [about that]. ... He’s going to be a great cutter in this system which I think will help our offense.”

Okoro injured his right shoulder in Monday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets and was held out of practice Wednesday. Atkinson said after practice that he “doesn’t expect it to be long-term” but didn’t go into exact details about what the injury was when asked. Atkinson categorized the injury as “day-to-day” which means Okoro could miss some of the games this weekend.

We’ll see if either can play this weekend. At the very least, it’s encouraging that both should be back in the near future.