Cavaliers welcome Max Strus back from injury in emotional return

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Cavaliers welcome Max Strus back from injury in emotional return

Ryan Lewis, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Mon, Mar 16, 2026 ·

4 min read

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CLEVELAND — Cavaliers guard/forward Max Strus nearly made it through his entire postgame meeting with reporters before the emotion of his long road back to the court finally bubbled to the surface.

It had been a long time coming.

Strus made his season debut in the Cavs' 130-120 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in their 68th game of the season. Only 14 games remain for Strus to try to get up to speed before the playoffs after nearly seven months of rehab.

In that way, for Strus, March 15 was a line, both finish and starting.

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Cleveland Cavaliers highlights. The best images from each game of the 2025-26 season

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(Lachlan Cunningham, Getty Images)

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(Soobum Im, Getty Images)

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(Jason Miller, Getty Images)

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(Rich Storry, Getty Images)

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(Jason Miller, Getty Images)

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(Emilee Chinn, Getty Images)

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Cavs forward Larry Nance Jr. shoots over Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat during the first half, Nov. 12, 2025 in Miami.
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Nov 8, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) goes up for a dunk against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mitchell missed the dunk. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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Nov 2, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson (20) celebrates with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the first half against the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
(Ken Blaze, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Oct 31, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) defends a shot by Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles (12) in the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
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Oct 29, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward/guard De'Andre Hunter (12) and Boston Celtics center Luka Garza (52) work for the ball in the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
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Oct 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) during the second half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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Oct 24, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) blocks a shot taken by Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) in the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
(Wendell Cruz, Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images)

Oct 22, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson (20) hangs on the rim after a dunk against New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
(Brad Penner, Brad Penner-Imagn Images)

"Excuse my language, but I worked my ass off. It was a ... " Strus said, before emotion got the better of him and he had to compose himself for a second. "It was a long road. But I only know one way to work, and that's as hard as possible. And I did that every single day."

The Cavs had seen it for several weeks as Strus finally worked his way on the court in gradual progression. Largely because of Strus' injury, they still haven't played a single minute at full strength this season.

"I think it's an emotional day, when you witness someone go through what he's got through this offseason, and then getting back and the struggle to get back, you're observing it day-to-day and [how] mental taxing that is," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. "And then just to get an injection of energy, and the competitor he is, the personality back in the locker room, it's good timing."

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (2) drives to the basket against Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams (10) on March 15, 2026, in Cleveland.

After his surgery in August , it was clear Strus would miss the beginning of the season. But, for the most part, beyond that his status was in question. Then the date of his possible return was pushed back, then back again, then back some more, back-back-back until it resembled a Chris Berman call from the Home Run Derby.

"It's easy for a guy to get discouraged, right? He's not the type to give up, like, put [himself] in a bad headspace," Donovan Mitchell said. "To see him continuously work … that's the Max Strus we know."

Max Strus stats in debut

It looked like Strus crammed seven months' worth of games into one afternoon. The Cavs ended up with a loss in another defensive letdown even though Strus was brilliant, finishing with 24 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including six 3s, from the floor with eight rebounds.

He checked into the game roughly midway through the first quarter, resulting in a standing ovation from the Rocket Arena crowd. It wouldn't be the last ovation for him.

Dallas Mavericks forward Caleb Martin (16) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (2) on March 15, 2026, in Cleveland.

On his first offensive possession of the season, Strus stepped into a 3 and buried it. The home crowd went nuts. A few moments later, he hit another one, leading to not only an additional ovation, but a Dallas timeout that kept the crowd going.

If he had played in the first 67 games, March 15 might still have been his best offensive game, even with it being his first time on the floor against anyone other than his teammates in more than half a year.

"That was a pretty amazing performance after seven months without playing an NBA game, maybe the best I've seen with that period of absence," Atkinson said. "That was a really great moment, him coming in and then hitting the first couple 3s. That's a shining light in a non-great day for us."

The Cavs missed Strus' 3-point shooting from the rotation. But perhaps more important is the type of movement and energy he brings to the lineup. It's something the team highlighted at multiple points last year as a key ingredient to why they raced to a 64-win season. It's a key aspect as to how Strus fits into the Cavs' puzzle.

"The shooting was there, but it was the little things — the tip-outs, the two 3s he hit back-to-back off of our zoom action, I set a flare for him and then he set one and slipped to the corner," Mitchell said. "Those are things, whether the shot's going or not, those are the things you miss with him."

Ryan Lewis covers the Cleveland Guardians and Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Max Strus returns from injury, makes season debut with Cleveland Cavs

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