The Cleveland Cavaliers are making their playoff push coming out of the All-Star break, and are trying to do so with Donovan Mitchell in and out of the lineup, as well as James Harden. The player fans have been eagerly waiting for is shooting guard Max Strus.
Strus has been out of the Cavs' lineup the entire season as he recovers from offseason surgery on his left foot to repair a Jones fracture. ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Cavs guard had surgery in August 2025 and was expected to return after three or four months.
But seven months later, Strus has still not returned to court. On Tuesday, the Cavs provided an injury update on Strus:
Cavaliers guard/forward Max Strus continues his recovery after offseason surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his left foot. Recent imaging has shown progressive healing, and in consultation with Dr. David Porter and team physician Dr. James Rosneck, Strus has made progress in individual on-court workouts as part of a structured ramp-up program.
The program will include controlled team activities and practice sessions with both the Cavaliers and the team's NBA G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.
Strus will continue his rehabilitation and conditioning under the supervision of the Cavaliers' medical and performance staff, with continued evaluation. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.
Strus, who will turn 30 on March 28, is in the third year of a four-year, $63 million deal that was signed July 6, 2023. If he is able to return at some point in the final few months of this season, the Cavs will have plenty of rotational pieces to figure out.
Max Strus started 70 games at 32 minutes a night for the Cavs in the 2023–24 season, averaging career highs of 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
Entering Tuesday's slate of games, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the second seed in the East, just 2.5 games behind the Eastern Conference's fourth-seeded Boston Celtics.
