Max Strus couldn't wait to get Year 3 with the Cleveland Cavaliers started after a disappointing second-round postseason exit a few months earlier at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. Then, during a simple individual shooting workout, he broke his foot.

The initial timeline was expected to be just a few months, having him make his 2025-26 NBA season debut around the New Year. Little did Strus and the team know his return to the court would be much further down the road. He was consistently progressing, but imaging and evaluation kept knocking back the comeback.

It was a taxing campaign mentally for Strus, who was champing at the bit to get on the floor and help the guys in any way he could.

He fought through and hit the hardwood in mid-March, making his season debut against the Dallas Mavericks at Rocket Arena. It was a memorable one, notching 24 points on 6-of-7 from long distance. Despite the loss, even he had to admit how difficult a battle it was.

Strus had to find his legs, his rhythm, and his jumper in a very short amount of time, as Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson was certainly going to lean on him by the time the playoffs rolled around. He ended up playing the fifth-most amount of minutes per game for the group (26.7) despite starting only four of 18 games. As a role player, his goal is to contribute to winning by any means necessary.

The 30-year-old swingman gave the Cavs a consistent do-it-all presence with more size at the 3 and a willingness to keep the ball moving. He crashed the glass, was not bashful beyond the arc, and was available throughout the run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

REGULAR SEASON STATS

11.2 POINTS | 5.4 REBOUNDS | 2.0 ASSISTS | 44.3% FG | 42.0% 3PT | 77.8% FT

PLAYOFF STATS

9.6 POINTS | 4.8 REBOUNDS | 2.1 ASSISTS | 40.6% FG | 35.8% 3PT | 91.7% FT

While Strus is one of the most important players on the Cavs' roster for his competitive nature and volume shooting, the organization has an avenue to improve its roster by trading his expiring $16.7 million contract if it so chooses.

There is a lot of redundancy at his position, especially considering Merrill played quite a bit of minutes at the 3 as well, and Jaylon Tyson has his development ahead of him, too.

It remains to be seen what happens with Dean Wade's free agency, but if he is retained, then there is a bit of a logjam at forward that could make choices a little more difficult.

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