Cleveland Cavaliers' Isaac Okoro sidelined with right shoulder sprain

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced that forward Isaac Okoro will be sidelined for the next few weeks due to a sprained right shoulder.

The Cavs, who have the NBA’s best record at 23-4, said Thursday that Okoro sustained a sprain to his right AC joint during the third quarter of Cleveland’s 130-101 win at Brooklyn on Dec. 16.

He’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks and the team said it will update his status and return “as appropriate.”

Okoro is 

one of the team’s best defensive players

 and he’s become much more dependable on offense. He’s averaging 6.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 21 minutes through 23 games with 16 starts.

The No. 5 overall draft pick in 2020, Okoro has diligently worked on his outside shoot the past two years and has made great progress. He’s making a career-best 49% of his 3-point attempts this season.

An unrestricted free agent last summer, Okoro signed a three-year, $38 million contract to stay with Cleveland in September.

While the Cavs could be without Okoro for the near future, small forward Max Strus is on the verge of making his season debut after being sidelined with a severe ankle injury sustained during a preseason workout.

Strus has been practicing the past two weeks and had been expected to play last week before his return was delayed.

On Wednesday, first-year Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said Strus was “awfully close” to playing. Last season, Strus averaged 12.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 70 starts for the Cavs. He spent the three previous seasons with Miami.

The Cavs host the Milwaukee Bucks, who won the second NBA Cup earlier this week, on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV) and Philadelphia on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).