Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus suffered a Jones fracture (fifth metatarsal) in his left foot during offseason training and will miss approximately three to four months.
Strus underwent successful surgery on Tuesday, the team announced.
That timeline would give Strus a best-case scenario of returning in early December. The update does note he is only expected to resume basketball activities at that point, so it could be even longer until he’s ready for game action.
This will be the second straight year Strus misses a significant chunk of the first half of the season. He missed the first 27 games of 2024-25 after suffering an ankle injury during the preseason. Cleveland went 23-4 in those games.
In 37 games, Strus averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists. His early season absence catered to the emergence of Ty Jerome as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Jerome has now moved on to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Strus signed a four-year, $63 million deal with the Cavs in the summer of 2023.
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) August 26, 2025
Cavaliers Get Early Depth Test With Strus Injury
Cleveland’s depth at small forward looks as though it will be immediately tested. Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade filled in for Strus during his absence last season but Okoro is now gone.
In Okoro’s place is Lonzo Ball, who owns a serious injury history. His days of suiting up for both ends of a back-to-back set are over and he played 35 games last season after a two-year absence due to knee trouble.
De’Andre Hunter is the most talented option of the bunch but offers Cleveland a great scoring option off the bench. Wade offers continuity from last season while Hunter may have the higher upside. It’s a new conundrum for head coach Kenny Atkinson.
If Cleveland hopes to be the top seed in the East once again, a strong start will be vital. The New York Knicks have made notable upgrades and could very well push the Cavs for the top spot if there’s any slippage.
