Cavaliers announce devastating injury news on veteran forward

According to the Cavs, Strus is expected to resume basketball activities in approximately three to four months. That means he’ll be sidelined for the start of the regular season, which will tip off in less than two months.

It’s a tough break for the Cavs and for Strus, who averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 25.5 minutes per game during his second year in Cleveland in 2024-25. He’s one of the team’s most reliable three-point shooters, knocking down 38.6% of 5.9 attempts per game last season, and finished the year as the starting small forward.

The silver lining for the Cavs is that there should be enough wing depth on the roster to get by without Strus during the first half of the season. De’Andre Hunter is the leading candidate to move into the starting lineup, with newly re-signed sharpshooter Sam Merrill likely in line for an increased role off the bench.

Veteran forward Dean Wade and second-year wing Jaylon Tyson are among the other reserves who should move up on the depth chart this fall.

A Jones fracture is a break in the fifth metatarsal, the bone that connects the pinkie toe to the base of the foot. Zach LaVine (2024), Dariq Whitehead (2023) and Ryan Rollins (2023) are among the NBA players who have dealt with similar injuries in recent years.

The three-to-four-month timeline provided by the Cavs is a projection for when Strus will resume basketball activities, so his absence will likely extend beyond that. But for what it’s worth, four months from the day of the announcement would be right around Christmas.