Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson provided an inside look into the conversation he had with veteran Caris LeVert following Max Strus’ ankle injury.
“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, ultimate high-character player. I don’t worry about him too much. For us, it’s really to find that niche. We’ve gotta find it for him. What that looks like with Max out? He’s obviously a really good ball-handler, so, how does that work with Darius [Garland] and Donovan [Mitchell]? Then what big is best for him to play with? All that stuff comes into play.”
Strus is expected to miss the start of the season after he reportedly landed on a coach’s foot during a drill.
“Remember how two years ago [Kevin] Durant missed multiple weeks because he just landed on his foot weird on his warm-up?” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said this week. “This is not quite the same, because the coach was just doing a shooting drill, and from what I understand, Max just came down on the coach’s foot. Terrible — and it’s a bad sprain, you know? I don’t know whether it’s a — I mean, it’s obviously at least a Grade 2. If you’re missin’ — if you’re out for six weeks, it’s a Grade 2 at least.”
With Strus missing time, the Cavs have to replace him in the starting lineup. The former Miami Heat forward started all 70 games that he appeared in during his first season with the Cavs (the 2023-24 campaign).
It was reported earlier this week that Dean Wade ran with the starting group during practice, but Atkinson could decide to switch to LeVert in the Cavs’ season opener against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
For now, it appears that the Cavs head coach wanted to prepare LeVert for any scenario that could come his way.
Since coming to Cleveland during the 2021-22 season, LeVert has started 50 of the 161 regular season contests that he’s appeared in.
The veteran wing has been a productive player in Cleveland, averaging 13.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in a Cavs uniform. Last season, he started just 10 games but ended the season averaging 14.0 points per game (his highest total with the Cavs).
A valuable shooter and playmaker, LeVert should be able to help replace some of Strus’ production.
The Cavs are hoping to make a deep playoff run this season, so starting out the campaign with a key injury isn’t exactly ideal. However, LeVert, Wade and Isaac Okoro are all viable options to help fill the void while Strus is on the mend.
Cleveland is scheduled to tip off against the Raptors at 7:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
