It appears that the Cleveland Cavaliers will have to wait for much longer before they have Max Strus back in action again. Strus has yet to make his 2025-26 NBA season debut, as the Cavs’ small forward continues to recover from a surgery he underwent in the offseason to address a foot injury.
While it’s been months since the surgery, Strus needs at least four more weeks to determine whether he’s ready to return, according to Spencer Davies of ClutchPoints.
“Cavs say Max Strus’ left foot has made progress after his latest evaluation and imaging, but more time is required for the Jones fracture to fully heal. He’ll have a follow-up within the next four weeks,” Davies said via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
That means Strus might not be able to make his season debut until at least after the 2026 NBA All-Star break.
With Strus not expected to be on the court anytime soon, the Cavs can continue giving the likes of De’Andre Hunter, Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson more minutes.
Cavs can afford to wait for Strus to be healthy despite inconsistent season
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It has been an up-and-down ride so far in the season for the Cavaliers, who carried a 20-17 record going into Tuesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers. For comparison, Cleveland finished the 2024-25 NBA season with a 64-18 record and did not lose its 17th game in that campaign until Apr. 10.
Still, there doesn’t seem to be a reason for the Cavaliers to rush Strus back, as they give him more time to be in the form where he’s comfortable enough to compete at a high level again.
Traded by the Miami Heat to Cleveland in 2023 and signed by the Cavs to a four-year contract worth $62.3 million, the former DePaul Blue Demons star has averaged 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 37.1 percent from deep in 120 games with the Cavaliers.