Three Players Who Could Start For Cavaliers Following Injury News

The Cleveland Cavaliers need a new starting small forward following Max Strus' injury news.

Nov 6, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) arms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers will start opening night without their starting small forward. Max Strus will be sidelined with a sprained ankle until late November or early December, leaving a massive void in the Wine and Gold's starting lineup.

Cleveland needs to find a new small forward for the first quarter of the season. Here are three options that Kenny Atkinson could consider as he puts together his rotation to start the year.

Isaac Okoro

Isaac Okoro is the most likely candidate to slide into the starting lineup after the Strus injury news. At this point in his career, he's definitely more suited as a 3-and-D shooting hard, but he does have plenty of experience starting and paying at small forward from his first two seasons in the NBA.

Okoro started 42 of the 69 games he played last season and was statistically slightly more effective in that role. He averaged 9.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists when beginning the game on the floor.

It would also make sense for Atkinson to want a defensive-minded player on the floor with Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, who has never been known for their defense, starting in the backcourt.

Oct 10, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) brings the ball up the court against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Dean Wade

A wild card who could be thrown into the starting lineup is Dean Wade.

Wade is among the most underrated players in the NBA because of his elite defense and three-point shooting. Cleveland's new head coach also believes he has the skill set to be more involved on other sides of the ball when on the floor. There's no better way for Wade to get more action than throwing him in the middle of the starting lineup.

While Wade is much more of a natural power-forward and stretch center, he does have some past experience as a small forward. Wade even started there during Cleveland's final preseason game, which could've been a foreshadowing of what fans will see on opening night.

Caris LeVert

Caris LeVert has demonstrated during his time with the Cavs that he'll do anything that's asked of him. That could be coming off the bench, starting, playing the shooting guard, leading an offense as the primary ball handler, or playing slightly out of position as a small forward.

LeVert is a veteran who Atkinson should feel comfortable putting in any role. However, he also looked sharp, leading the second unit last season, and that can't be overlooked when game-planing the rotation.