There were some serious question marks about what Max Strus would look like upon finally returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers following a delayed arrival due to his Jones fracture injury. The immediate answer on Sunday showed everyone the veteran wing would be just fine. Strus has himself to thank.
"Excuse my language, but I worked my a** off," Strus told the media after the game before getting choked up. "It was a long road, but I only know one way to work and that's as hard as possible. I did that every single day. ... I'm just happy to be playing."
Strus exploded in his debut off the bench. The Cavaliers veteran scored 24 points in just 23 minutes, shooting an efficient 7-of-9 from the field and 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. The only part that spoiled the outing was the Cavaliers losing a competitive 130-120 ball game to the Dallas Mavericks.
Strus, himself, was disappointed in having such a good individual night in his return while the team lost. The winning result would have made the contest all the sweeter. However, in the grand scheme of things, Strus will have plenty of added opportunities to provide that type of boost, at more pivotal times too.
Max Strus' hard work should bolster Cavaliers before the NBA Playoffs
All Strus wants is to make an impact and help the Cavaliers win. The veteran sharpshooter said as much in the postgame of his season debut. There should be enough time to make that a reality in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers would have loved to have Strus back sooner than this. However, the injury recovery clearly did not go as easy as it could have. Otherwise, the 29-year-old would have been back in late December or January.
The main thing that matters now is Strus has arrived, looks good, and gives the Cavaliers just enough time to figure out how he slots in.
Cleveland has 14 games remaining during the 2025-26 regular season. Those matchups will be fairly light too. The strength of schedule from here is one of the easiest the NBA has to offer. The opponents left for the Cavaliers have a collective winning percentage of .437, ranking 29th.
For Strus, that means getting his wind back under him against competition that should not push him to the limit. The added comfort of seeing teams like the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, etc. on the schedule means the Cavaliers have wiggle room to pace him back to his full minutes load.
Ramping up Strus should allow him to reassume a prominent spot in the rotation by the postseason. Some (myself included) thought the delay in returning could force him to miss the year altogether. Strus' work ethic ensured that idea would ultimately be a silly one.