The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a setback against the Dallas Mavericks. Despite the loss to the Texans, there was one bright spot: the return of three-point specialist Max Strus.
Max Strus had to wait a full ten months for this moment. The 29-year-old made a strong comeback against Dallas after the forward suffered a Jones fracture during the summer break. The best shooter on the roster alongside Sam Merrill had to work hard to get back on the court, and against the Dallas Mavericks, the moment had finally arrived.
Amid ovations, Strus entered the game midway through the first quarter, and it took him less than 30 seconds to sink his first three-pointer. And so it continued: the second three-pointer went in, and so did the third. He finished with 24 points and six made three-pointers on seven attempts.
“That was a pretty impressive performance after such a long break,” said Coach Kenny Atkinson. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a comeback like that after such a long layoff.” The fact that the Cavs lost the game against Dallas almost became a side note, even though Cleveland needs every win to improve its position in the race for second place.
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“I worked my ass off,” Strus said about the past few months, visibly struggling to hold back tears. “It was a long and hard road, but I know that. I push myself to the limit every day, and today I’m just glad I was finally able to get back on the court.”
His return gives the Cavs another option on the wing, even though the roster now looks significantly different than it did back in May, when Strus played his last game for the Cavs in Game 5 of the Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers.
James Harden, Dennis Schröder, and Keon Ellis are now supporting Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt, with Ellis often shifting out to the three. The Cavs now have an almost surplus of players at these positions; against Dallas, Sam Merrill and rookie Jaylon Tyson were missing—two players who could also fill Strus’ role.
Recently, Cleveland has been playing with a slightly smaller lineup, as Evan Mobley moved to the five due to center Jarrett Allen’s injury. But what will the situation look like when the Cavs’ roster is at full strength? Cleveland has a total of seven players for positions one through three, all of whom are in the running for playing time; it’s possible that one of them will see little to no action in the playoffs. Who that will be is completely up in the air.
For Atkinson, however, this is a good problem to have, because ideally, the Cavs want to go through four playoff series and, if possible, secure 16 wins.
