Max Strus' Plantar Fascia Tear Sidelines Him at Least a Month, and the Clippers Open the Season Short on Wings

Max Strus will miss at least the first weeks of the regular season after the Los Angeles Clippers announced he suffered a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot. Strus pulled up with a non-contact injury in the preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors, and the team said he will be reevaluated in four weeks. The Clippers open the season at home against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 21, which means Strus' Clippers debut will come in early November at the earliest.

Plantar fascia injuries are among the trickiest in basketball. The usual remedy is prolonged rest, and the risk of the injury lingering or worsening if a player returns too quickly is real. The four-week reevaluation date is a checkpoint, not a return date, and fantasy managers should plan for a longer absence.

The Clippers' wing problem

Strus was brought in to be a floor-spacing wing who could defend multiple positions and keep the offense spaced around Darius Garland. His absence would be manageable on its own, but the Clippers are also reportedly expected to be without forward Brandon Ingram and big man Yanic Konan Niederhauser at the start of the season.

That leaves the wing and forward rotation thin. Rui Hachimura is the clearest candidate to absorb more offensive responsibility at forward, and Derrick Jones Jr. is the other likely starter at the position. In the backcourt, the shooting guard spot alongside Garland is an open question, with rookie Keaton Wagler among the players expected to compete for the starting role while Strus is out.

Who benefits in fantasy

Rui Hachimura: The most direct beneficiary. With Ingram out, Hachimura is the forward most likely to see a usage bump, and his scoring efficiency makes him a reliable source of points and field-goal percentage. He moves up draft boards in standard leagues.

Keaton Wagler: The speculative pick. A rookie stepping into a starting role on a team with an established point guard can produce useful counting stats simply through minutes. He is a late-round flier in deeper leagues and a waiver-wire watch in standard formats.

Darius Garland: Locked into the starting point guard spot. Fewer secondary creators around him could mean more on-ball volume, which supports his assist and scoring numbers.

Derrick Jones Jr.: His value is defensive. If he starts, his blocks and steals give him category value in deeper leagues, but his offensive role limits his ceiling.

The Strus fantasy outlook

Strus was never a high-volume scorer. His fantasy value comes from three-pointers and rebounds for a guard-sized wing, and that profile fits best in deeper leagues. With a multi-week absence and the risk of a lingering foot problem, he drops out of standard draft consideration entirely. In deeper leagues, he is an injured-list stash at best.

Betting angle

The Clippers' early-season markets are where this matters most. Losing two rotation wings to start the season weakens the team's depth, and early games against Western Conference rivals will test it. Win-total bettors should consider that the Clippers' October and early November schedule could produce a slow start, even if the team gets healthier later.

The opening-night home game against the Kings is the first test. Sacramento has its own frontcourt questions after Maxime Raynaud's knee injury ruled him out of the opener, so both teams will be shorthanded. For the model's view of the season, check NBA predictions as the schedule begins.

What to do in your draft

Do not draft Strus in standard leagues. Move Hachimura up a round or two. Add Wagler as a speculative late pick if your league rewards rookies with minutes. And keep an eye on the Clippers' final preseason games for clues on the starting lineup, because the shooting guard spot is the open question that will decide who gets the minutes Strus leaves behind.

What's next

Strus' reevaluation comes in about four weeks, which lines up with early November. If the foot responds well to rest, he could return shortly after. If not, the absence could stretch further. Until then, the Clippers will need their depth to hold, and fantasy managers will have a few cheap options to target in the meantime.