Maxi Kleber’s defensive impact in game two was undeniable. The lineup with him at the five to close may have saved the Mavericks the game.
Maxi Kleber has this uncanny ability to step up when he is needed in the playoffs. As a steady hand in chaos, he becomes the weak side defender and switchable big most teams dream about.
When a role player with his experience makes the right reads repeatedly, is an anchoring presence on defense with hustle plays – plus a threat on offense, he has the potential to be a difference-maker. And Maxi Kleber was just that in game two against the Clippers. His impact shows just how important good role players are to the success of any team.
With six points and six rebounds, shooting 66 percent from three and a +/- of nine (Mavericks high), he created a lot of advantages for Dallas by being aggressive on the boards and able to switch to the extent that it gave Dallas the upper hand to close the game. On offense, he provides spacing when he actually shoots the ball, which he did, hitting two timely three pointers in this game.
Like here, when he cuts to disrupt rotations and create chaos for the defense and ends up getting and making a completely uncontested three with two minutes left. Huge basket:
Benefit of having Luka and Kyrie here for Dallas. DJJ screens to get Harden to switch vs. Kyrie. Luka is one pass away. Kawhi is showing early help at the nail and it actually looks like switch and double. Kleber tries to cut to mess with rotations, ends up hitting the 3. pic.twitter.com/zUJVMrSEET
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) April 24, 2024
Kleber has not been a threat on offense for a while now, so the playoff is what we would call a very fitting time to start taking – and making – more shots.
But on defense, Kleber has been solid – and even very good for a little while now, finally back and able to move well after his injuries earlier this season. He’s a great weak side defender, and his contests, both his way of staying straight up on direct contact and catching up from behind, have been great:
Clippers working to get the ball to Kawhi, good denial from Exum. Kleber shows help on the catch, kick to Westbrook who drives, great help from Derrick Jones Jr pic.twitter.com/cmsVPRy19A
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) April 24, 2024
And again here, his hustle and ability to recover and be at the right place in the paint is close to unique on this team. He comes over to cover for Derreck Lively, contests Westbrook, recovers and contests Zubac:
Russ beats DLive, but Maxi has his back, then DLive recovers to contest Zubac’s attempt!
Luka defends and gets the jump ball.
SCRAPPY! SCRAPPY! SCRAPPY! pic.twitter.com/N6thW5cesQ— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) April 24, 2024
And then there’s the part that makes Maxi Kleber even more special to this team: his long time as Luka Dončić’s teammate. He came to Dallas in 2017 and was already settled in as part of the rotation when Luka Dončić arrived in 2018. Luka has mentioned both him and Dwight Powell as important support when adjusting to the NBA, and talked about how both helped him a lot getting acclimated.
In the past, some have argued that the Mavericks shouldn’t have re-signed him, or that he’s washed and too injury-prone, but Maxi Kleber has worked through so many injuries and made it back at this point, he must have become an expert at making it through the mental hardship of injuries. That takes a strong mentality. Despite decreased athleticism, he just keeps proving himself as a valuable piece for this team.
What you get when you hold on to players for a while is a thing called cohesion. This is not something you can buy for money and it doesn’t have great trade value, but it creates something else: connection.
Maxi Kleber is one of the only people on this team who has known Luka Dončić over his whole NBA career, and that means that he has experienced everything we’re seeing before. He obviously doesn’t let Luka’s antics get to him, like this incident, where Luka yells at him after a turnover in game one – and that’s a valuable skill. Keeping players together for longer amounts of time pays off.
Luka Doncic was not hiding his frustration with Maxi Kleber pic.twitter.com/l3UNJeM10P
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) April 22, 2024
But what he did in game two, was to make sure to prove himself after some mistakes in game one, and he rose to the occasion. He’s been with Dončić through good and bad. And that means something. And Luka Dončić made sure to acknowledge that, as a leader should.
Love this https://t.co/YyBuo2AqaG
— Matthew Phillips (@Matthewp7741) April 24, 2024
But something else might be at play here, as well. I don’t know for sure, of course, but it may also be likely that Luka yelling at a euro teammate would hit a little differently than most viewers and readers think. As opposed to in America, codling doesn’t sit well with most Europeans. Many are very direct, and want to be told as it is. That’s Luka Dončić for you, at least when emotions are high.
And, I don’t know, maybe there’s a little aspect of respect to be found in this story. As I wrote about earlier this year in a story about European vs. American coaching, Madrid coach Pablo Laso yelling at Luka Dončić at 16 was a sign of respect. Of holding him accountable and high expectations.
So when Luka Dončić yells at Maxi Kleber – and then hugs him the following game – it certainly shows acknowledgement of his efforts. ‘You took the challenge and rose to the occasion’ – and maybe also of respect? Kleber certainly responded well.
Perhaps. I am in no way an NBA player in Dallas, but I am a European, who was raised with and in the European basketball culture and traditions – like Maxi Kleber and Luka Dončić.
This season, the Mavericks have more good role players than they’ve had for a while, and I expect most of them to have their moment. Some are matchup dependent, some depend on the day, and then there’s Maxi.
I would expect him to be an important piece the entire way. Whether it’s defensive anchoring or spacing the floor, a veteran who has a lot of playoff experience, good and bad, and who has known Luka Dončić and played with him since he was 19 will probably always be in the rotation if he’s healthy. But the fact that he was this important to winning a game in the playoffs is still somewhat of a surprise. One of the good ones, welcome at any time over the next weeks.