By james art Injury concerns will be front and center when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Toronto Raptors in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday.
The Cavaliers will look to fill the void of Max Struss, who will be out at least six weeks with a sprained ankle.
The Raptors listed RJ Barrett (shoulder) as out, although he participated in non-contact practices on Monday and Tuesday. Barrett has been out since the team’s first preseason game on Oct. 6.
Strus’ absence removes a key player from Cleveland’s starting lineup, which includes Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The group played just 28 games together last season due to injuries.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson continues to work on a plan moving forward.
“We haven’t decided yet,” Atkinson said of how to compensate for Strus’ absence. “We’ll just have to see and explore Toronto a little more. See what fits this game best, I think that’s where we’re at right now.”
Dean Wade and Caris LeVert are options to fill the role.
“It doesn’t have to be just those two,” Atkinson said. “It could be someone else. We need to figure this out. That’s what we’re doing right now.”
That other option could be Isaac Okoro.
“You always feel terrible for a player, especially Max, no matter how hard he works and what a vital cog he is to this team,” Atkinson said. “You lose one of your best players, it’s a blow. But we have great depth. Many teams could be affected by this. We have some guys who can step in and help us until he comes back.”
Barrett said earlier this week that he wants to start.
“I mean, I feel better than I did two weeks ago,” Barrett said. “Sometimes I feel good. (Monday) I wasn’t feeling so well so it’s a work in progress. My goal is to play, but if I go through that and I don’t feel good, it’s just going to have to be what it is.”
Toronto has other injury issues. Kelly Olynyk (back) will also miss the game. He did not participate in practice Monday or Tuesday after missing the last three preseason games.
Ja’Kobe Walter (shoulder) missed the preseason despite practicing Monday, with coach Darko Rajakovic saying this year’s 19th overall draft pick is considered week-to-week. Bruce Brown (arthroscopic knee surgery) is working on shooting drills and Immanuel Quickley (dislocated thumb) returned to action Friday after missing the first four preseason games.
The Raptors have key players returning from injuries that cut short their 2023-24 seasons. Scotty Barnes had a broken third metacarpal in his left hand that forced him to miss the final 22 games of the season, and Jakob Poeltl missed the final 21 games with a fractured left pinky finger.
Toronto used a franchise-record 30 players last season. Barnes, Barrett, Poeltl and Quickley played 14 games combined for a 7-7 record.
“It’s tough, especially for a team like us,” Poeltl said. “We haven’t played together in a very long time, like the starters played a little bit together last year. We have so many new faces, the more training and games we can get together the better.”
– Field level media
