Cavs face lineup questions with Max Strus, Darius Garland sidelined early

The Cavaliers are preparing to open the season without two of their projected starters.

Max Strus was expected to be Cleveland’s starting small forward before suffering a Jones fracture in his left foot last week, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported in a subscriber mailbag.

Strus underwent surgery and was given a three-to-four-month recovery timeline, but Fedor cautioned that it will likely take longer. Jones fractures are notoriously slow to heal, and the Cavs are typically cautious with injuries. So yeah, Strus could miss about half the season.

Darius Garland is also not expected to be ready to start the year as he recovers from offseason toe surgery. That leaves Sam Merrill as the “most obvious” fill-in, according to Fedor. Merrill, who re-signed on a four-year, $38 million deal, could step in as a starter while Strus and Garland work back.

Dean Wade and rookie Jaylon Tyson are also in line for bigger roles. Coach Kenny Atkinson may prefer to keep De’Andre Hunter in a sixth-man role, but Wade could slide into the first five.

Tyson, the Cavs’ 2024 first-round pick, is viewed as an X factor. The team had already planned to give him more minutes, and Atkinson is curious to see how he fits with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen once Garland returns.

Finally, Lonzo Ball should also be a fairly big part of the rotation after arriving in an offseason trade. Ball showed flashes in his comeback last season but was limited to 35 games with wrist issues.