Maxi Kleber has been in and out of the Los Angeles Lakers rotation all season long. With the Lakers now mostly healthy, it would be expected that Kleber wouldn’t see many minutes, but that wasn’t the case against the Sacramento Kings as head coach JJ Redick turned to him and, as has often been the case this season, Kleber came through.
Kleber hit all three of his shots on the night, finishing with six points, six rebounds and a block in just 13 minutes as the Lakers blew out the Kings. While his numbers weren’t out of this world, his impact was felt and Redick praised him after the game as a winning basketball player and someone who is beloved by his teammates.
“We have a lot of good guys on our team. A lot,” Redick said after the win. “I love these guys. His teammates love him. He’s a terrific teammate. It’s easy to root for his success because of when he started his NBA career and some of these injuries. He’s not the same that he was when he was at his peak in Dallas, when I thought he was one of the most impactful universal defenders in the NBA. But he just plays winning basketball, [is] very unselfish and selfless.”
Kleber has dealt with his share of injuries throughout his career that have taken their toll on him physically, but he always stays ready and has been a steady contributor any time his number is called. Against the Kings, he even provided a huge highlight with his poster dunk on big man Precious Achiuwa, and Redick noted how excited everyone’s reaction was to that slam.
“I think he did a good job of screening, he did a good job of rolling,” Redick said when asked about Kleber’s strong second quarter. “The second half is more fresh on my mind just in terms of the offensive rebounding and the pocket pass he got from Luke. But he had two poster dunks tonight, things you get really excited about… The reaction from his teammates on that, it’s something that gives your group some spirit.”
As the playoffs near, Redick will likely have to shorten his rotation even further as the Lakers hope to make a strong postseason run. If he continues to play well and be a reliable contributor, Kleber could very well be someone Redick turns to in pressure situations.
Luka Doncic had And-1 Mixtape moment in Lakers win vs. Kings
If Maxi Kleber’s poster dunk wasn’t the highlight of the night against the Kings then Luka Doncic’s unreal fadeaway 3-pointer definitely was. And Doncic laughed about it following the Lakers’ victory, claiming he slipped on purpose in what his teammates called an And-1 mixtape moment.
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