Cavs' Kenny Atkinson reveals possible solution to replace Max Strus

Yesterday at 07:34 PM

There are questions about the Cleveland Cavaliers heading into the 2024-25 season. The most recent for the Cavs is what to do after news broke that Max Strus would be sidelined with an ankle injury. Strus was expected to start on Opening Night as part of Cleveland’s standard starting five. But now that Strus is out for six weeks, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson has to find a solution. Would Atkinson go with Dean Wade? How about Caris LeVert? What about Isaac Okoro or even possibly Sam Merrill? With Strus sidelined, Atkinson can leave no stone unturned regarding Cleveland’s starting small forward.

"We haven't decided yet," Atkinson said as the Cavs wrapped up one of their final preseason practices. "We'll just have to see and study Toronto a little more. See what fits that matchup best, I think, is where we're at right now."

"… Right off the bat, it makes us have to adjust right away. That's not ideal, but this is also the league, right? You can probably look across the league. There are probably six or seven teams in the same boat. Sometimes, it happens at the beginning of the season. Sometimes, it happens a quarter into the season. This just hit us right away."

On paper, Wade is the logical candidate to enter Cleveland’s starting five. A floor-stretching big man who can play three through five, Wade slots nicely as a bridge between the smalls and talls in the Cavs’ Core Four. Wade received the start at small forward in Cleveland’s preseason finale. He’s a player Atkinson has been raving about throughout training camp. But, even with logic and praise making the case for Wade, it isn’t as easy as it might seem.

Who could start at small forward for the Cavs on opening night?

Last season, Wade started 32 of the 54 games he appeared in while Cleveland dealt with a rash of injuries. But to Atkinson, moving Wade from the reserves to the team’s starting five could ruin the Cavs’ offensive flow and continuity.

"If you start Dean, then you have to think about what's after that," Atkinson explained. "What do those secondary lineups look like? And then, if you want to go small with him at the five, what does that look like? Starting him takes away some options because he can play both big positions, so we've got to think about that."

So, who else could be a serious option if Atkinson doesn’t go with Wade? While his desired role is to be the team’s sixth man, LeVert could also be a serious option. LeVert has a prior history with Atkinson from their time together with the Brooklyn Nets. So, although LeVert thinks he’s best as a supporter off the bench, he could be the team’s starting small forward.

"I texted him the other day, I said, 'Here we go, you've got to do it all. You might start, you might come off the bench,'" Atkinson explained. "I think Caris has accepted that role, and he's done it well for the Cavs. I know in Brooklyn, he did it well for us. He understands that's his role. He's the ultimate team guy, the ultimate high-character player. I don't worry about him too much. For us, it's really to find that niche. We've got to find it for him. What does that look like with Max out? He's obviously a really good ball-handler, so how does that work with Darius and Donovan? Then what big is best for him to play with? All that stuff comes into play."

With Strus out, Atkinson has his first decision as Cleveland’s head coach. It's why he was hired. To find the best solutions. So, while there might not be a clear answer for every game, Atkinson will take it on a game-by-game approach.

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