The Los Angeles Clippers got an ugly start to their preseason. New wing Max Strus left Sunday’s game against the Golden State Warriors in Hawaii with a non-contact injury to his right foot or ankle and did not return.
Reports differ on whether it was the foot or the ankle, which is part of why this is a story worth watching. The team has not announced a diagnosis or a timeline.
What happened
Strus got hurt early, in the first quarter, after what was described as a tweak while making a cut. Brett Siegel reported he left with a non-contact right foot or ankle injury. According to Yahoo Sports, the team will conduct further testing back in Los Angeles. One report said he was seen hopping on his left foot after the play.
He played about five minutes and went 0 for 1 from the field with one rebound, per Yardbarker. It was his first game for the Clippers.
Why this one stings
Strus arrived in the four-team trade that sent Peyton Watson to Cleveland. He is on the final year of a contract reported at $62 million, and the Clippers acquired him as a shooter to play next to Darius Garland, his former Cavaliers teammate.
The injury history is the real concern. Strus had surgery last season for a Jones fracture in his left foot and appeared in just 12 games. This injury involves the right side, so it appears to be a separate issue, but any lower body problem for a player coming off that surgery will make people nervous.
That is the Clippers’ worry. A wing who spaces the floor matters next to Garland. If this turns out to be minor, they dodged a bullet. If it is not, they lose a key shooter before the real games start.
Who gets the minutes
CBS Sports noted that rookie Keaton Wagler is expected to see more playing time in Strus’s absence. That is a decent silver lining. Wagler gets a chance to show what he can do with a bigger role, even if the Clippers would prefer to have Strus healthy.
The preseason is the right time to find out who can fill in. Rui Hachimura scored 21 points in 15 minutes against the Warriors, according to Rotowire, so the Clippers had some bright spots on a night when the injury overshadowed everything.
My take is simple: do not rush Strus. The regular season is about three weeks away, and a wing with his injury history is worth more healthy in January than limping through an October ramp-up. Let the tests come back, let the Clippers be patient, and decide then.
What we do not know is how long he will be out. No MRI result, diagnosis or return date has been made public.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
