The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without Max Strus and Darius Garland to start the 2025-26 season, as both are recovering from surgery. At Cavs Media Day, the players themselves provided updates on their situations.
Having had a procedure done on his left great toe in early June, Garland has a date in mind for his timetable, but he is keeping it close to the vest.
“Everything’s good. Summer, really well. Rehab has been going really well,” Garland told reporters Monday at Rocket Arena. “I'm back on the court. I’m moving around. I'm ramping up for the season, so everything's been good. It's been a really good offseason. Everything's been looking great. Doctor said everything's been looking great. So I'm happy where I'm at right now.
“I’m going to keep working, keep progressing, working on conditioning and cardio right now, so happy to be back on the court. And that will be my last question about my toe and the injury this year. So thank you.”
As expected, it wasn't the last question about that toe. Garland gave some leeway on the follow-ups, revealing that he's been “on the court doing everything” for the past month.
Strus, on the other hand, has a fresher wound that will require much more time away after suffering a Jones fracture in his left foot during a routine offseason workout.
“I was just working out and went to jump off my foot, and it just cracked,” Strus said. “Kind of unlucky and unfortunate, but we're here now and dealing with it, and I'll be alright.
“I'm not gonna put a timetable on my return, but five weeks out of surgery and go get a check-in with the doctor at Week 6 to hopefully start the recovery and getting back process from there. I'm in a good spot right now and everything seems to be healing.”
Lessons learned. Coming back ready to change the script. #LetEmKnow | #WatchRockSports pic.twitter.com/KgLRq1KjwI
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The veteran swingman was walking around bootless and in good spirits at Media Day.
“It's not easy, but just take it day by day. I know I'll be alright in the end 'cause of the work that I've put in and how serious I take my rehab,” Strus said. “I've been going at it every single day and trying to push as much as I can without being stupid. So, I'll be ready when the time comes, and I can't wait for that moment.
“The optimism is still there. The positive vibe is still there. I still want to be around this group and be able to contribute at a high level. I'm excited to get back. It sucks right now, but it'll be fine in the long run.”
Judging by the nature of his comments, Garland could be back sooner than anticipated, while Strus will likely take some time. With these two sidelined for now, there's a crucial opportunity for others to step up and fill the void until they're both healthy.
