Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson didn't offer an official medical update on Max Strus before the team's win over the New York Knicks, but what he had to say coincides with the notion that the veteran swingman is getting healthier by the day.
“I watched him work on the court today,” Atkinson said Monday night. “It was really trending positive. A lot of movement, contact with coaches, change of direction. So I'll just give you that. What that means — when do you start playing, all that — I can't give you that. I haven't even asked.
“I was just very pleased and surprised, like, man, he's starting to pick it up now.”
This is the first instance in which Atkinson mentions that Strus has graduated from non-contact court work and conditioning to working against contact. Although it is only against the coaching staff, it is a significant development that foreshadows a return.
Strus has yet to play a game this season after suffering a left foot Jones fracture in late August, just weeks before training camp. The Cavs' last official statement on the injury came on January 6, which indicated more time was needed for it to heal. Strus had a follow-up evaluation four weeks later, but aside from Atkinson insisting on his progression, the team hasn't issued another update since.
“The hardest part for him is just being patient,” Cavs president Koby Altman said in his post-trade-deadline Zoom call with the media in early February. “This injury was a horrible offseason injury. It's taken a long time to heal, but he's progressing. He's getting back on the floor, and we're excited to have him for this stretch run, but we certainly have been taking our time to make sure when he gets back, he's 100 percent.
“I know no one's more excited than him to get back. No one's pushing more than him to get back. But at the same time, we want to make sure that he is a hundred percent when he is. And I still don't have a timetable for you on that, unfortunately.”
Atkinson shared recently that Cleveland doesn't have a target number of games for Strus to play to ramp up for the postseason. He does expect him to suit up in the regular season.
“Getting Max back at any time before the playoffs would be a huge bonus,” Atkinson said. “I mean, he missed a ton of time last year with the ankle. He's not 22, right? A guy with that experience and the way he works in the weight room. Of course, he'd love to have a little runway where he gets his rhythm. But, as long as we get him for the playoff run, I think that's a win for us. He's got so much experience. Obviously, he had a really good playoffs last year.”
It'll be interesting to see how the Cavs' rotation shakes out when Strus does get back on the floor. There is plenty of optionality for Atkinson to go with alongside the revamped core of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Guys like Dean Wade, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, and Keon Ellis have proven their abilities to step up when needed. Unfortunately, somebody will have to get knocked down a peg because of the depth of the team.
“Obviously, thrilled that we're getting healthier. We're almost there,” Atkinson said last week. “Max, being the kind of last piece to that, but almost whole. So I think it's figuring out the rotations and lineups. That's the biggest thing. And also, when you have everybody healthy, obviously, minutes are distributed differently. People who are playing a lot might not play as much.
“There's a lot of moving pieces with that, which we all know is part of it. And everybody has to sacrifice and play their role. But listen, it's a good problem to have, with the talent we have. So, excited to see James with the new guys that we're integrating.”
