Clippers guard Max Strus suffered a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot during the first quarter of Sunday’s preseason opener, halting his season after little more than four minutes of play.
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Strus headed straight to the locker room after coming up lame at the 7:10 mark of the Clippers’ 104-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors at the University of Hawaii’s Stan Sheriff Center. He will be reevaluated in four weeks, according to the Clippers.
It is the third consecutive season in which Strus will miss the start of the regular season (Oct. 21) because of foot issues. He missed the first 67 games last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers because of a Jones fracture and in 2024, he suffered a sprained right ankle during the preseason and was out for six weeks.
Strus, who averaged 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds last season, is in the final year of a four-year, $62 million deal he first signed with the Cavaliers before the 2023-24 season. The Clippers acquired him in August in a multi-team trade that sent Peyton Watson from Denver to Cleveland.
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Strus joins the Clippers’ growing list of injuries. Two-time All-Star forward Brandon Ingram already is out indefinitely because of heel and Achilles issues, while forward Kobe Sanders recently suffered a hip impingement that could delay the start of his season.
Veteran guard Bradley Beal is currently out because of right knee inflammation, and guard Jordan Miller is sidelined until at least March after left rotator cuff surgery.
Second-year center Yanic Konan Niederhauser also is out until early 2027 after having Lisfranc surgery on his right foot last March. He has resumed on-court activities but is not expected to return to the lineup until January.
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