Max Struss’ foot injury schedule increased during evaluation

Cleveland Left foot swing by Cavaliers Max Struss additional time is required to heal after the final assessment and imaging by the team. On Tuesday afternoon, the team gave an official update on Strus’ status, revealing that he will not be back as soon as expected.

“Evaluation and imaging revealed positive progress, but additional time is needed for the fracture to fully heal,” the Cavs said in their press release. “Strus will continue to progress in the rehabilitation and conditioning phase of his recovery, along with ongoing medical treatment.”

“He is scheduled for a follow-up evaluation with Dr. David Porter, who performed the procedure, in conjunction with the Cavaliers’ medical and training staff, over the next four weeks. Further updates and his next steps will be determined after that evaluation.”

Strus suffered the injury just weeks before Cleveland’s training camp while going through practice. He shared at Media Day that his left leg “snapped” when he started to jump off it.

“There’s no luck and no luck, but we’re here now and we’re dealing with it, and I’ll be fine,” Struss said.

On August 26, the Cavs issued a post-surgery press release stating that Struss would be able to resume basketball activities in approximately three to four months. He came out well beyond that initial time frame.

“Obviously we miss him, don’t we? He’s got that crazy toughness that you love in the locker room,” Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson said Sunday. “He misses his presence. I’m just thinking to him like, ‘Man, can we get you right, give you a nice run in the playoffs?’ Whatever that run looks like, I’m not guessing. But I know we’re conservative in our approach, and he’s aware of that and he’s accepted it.”

“I’ll be ready when the time comes and I can’t wait for that moment,” Struss said in late September. “The optimism is still there. The positive vibe is still there. I still want to be in this group and be able to contribute at a high level. I’m excited to be back. It’s crap right now, but it’s going to be good in the long run.”

In the meantime, the Cavs will have to keep chipping away until their veteran forward gets back on the floor. Entering Tuesday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers with a 20-17 record, Cleveland will have to find a way to win without Donovan Mitchell (and maybe others).