Before the Cleveland Cavaliers squeezed out a tight 120-116 win over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, there was an important update quietly delivered about a guy who can make ugly wins like this one tip a bit more in the Cavs' favor next time around. Cleveland had news on the Max Strus injury.
Danny Cunningham reported, "[Cavaliers] say that swingman Max Strus, who has not played this season as he recovers from offseason surgery, ... is progressing towards a return, but still needs more time to heal. Strus will have a follow up evaluation within the next four weeks."
For those tracking the original timeline projected by NBA insider Shams Charania, this officially pushes Strus past the less optimistic end of his rehab timeline for the Jones fracture. Still, this update offers promise of that day finally being near, and extra caution is never a bad thing.
The Cavaliers need Strus at his best when the sharpshooting wing finally makes his season debut. At 21-17, things could be a lot worse for Cleveland. However, the Cavs veteran should provide a lift that can work towards making the early struggles of this season an afterthought in the grand scheme of 2025-26.
Max Strus' return should fix multiple Cavaliers issues pretty quickly
The Cavaliers continue to be bombs away from beyond the arc during this campaign. Cleveland is third in the entire NBA when it comes to 3-pointers attempted, putting up 42.6 of them a night.
Their percentages are trending upward by comparison to the rough figures seen earlier in the season. However, they still leave plenty of room for improvement.
35.1 percent is their current success rate from 3-point land. It's a step in the right direction, but that still places them at only 20th in the NBA.
The encouraging part would be looking at the last 10 games, specifically. The Cavaliers are hitting 39.1 percent of their 38.9 3-point shots per game during that span. Those are the kind of results that Cleveland wants with their offense.
Having Strus available will ensure their figures from deep continue to rise. That will allow the Cavs to comfortably play the type of offense they want to this season.
More than his shooting ability, Strus should bring irreplaceable intangibles. The veteran wing adds a glue guy to any lineup. His hard work and willingness to do the dirty work should raise the effort levels around him. That is a something a team who has struggled in the mental department will greatly benefit from.
The Cavaliers will need to wait a touch longer for their guy to get back. When that time comes, Kenny Atkinson's group should be welcoming him with open arms.