DALLAS — After being sidelined for much of the season due to a right small toe dislocation, Maxi Kleber has elevated his impact for the Dallas Mavericks since the start of February as he continued managing the injury.
He was sidelined for precautionary reasons for the team's blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs heading into the All-Star break. Still, he averaged 10.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in February. He's shooting 59.0 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from the perimeter while providing a needed defensive presence.
When Kleber was on the court, the Mavs produced a 125.7 offensive rating and a 107.3 defensive rating, resulting in an 18.4 net rating. The results have been apparent, with the team achieving impressive results with him in the mix alongside superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
With Kleber's ability to switch and hold his own in space while having the size to maintain traditional pick-and-roll coverage or be a weak-side rim protector, the Mavs gain a lot of versatility when he's healthy. At 6-10, he gives Dallas the option of going small while still having size to rebound.
"With Maxi being healthy, our defense is, I don't want to say it's built around him, but he is a big part of that," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. " But just understanding what Maxi means to us on the floor as a starter or someone coming off the bench. His ability to play defense; he can guard 1 through 5 and rebound."
As evidenced throughout the run to the Western Conference Finals in 2022 and throughout his time with the Mavs, Kleber provided a helpful impact as a stretch-five to allow Dallas to go five out against defenses that require it. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving become fully able to leverage their creativity and individual dominance.
"On the offensive end, he can stretch the defense and shoot the 3," Kidd said. "And I think you've seen that he can put the ball on the floor and not just lay it up but also get to the rim and dunk. We're going to need that as we go forward. We have smaller groups to have Maxi on the floor or If we want to be big and play Maxi at the four."
Watch the in-depth breakdown of Kleber's recent performance on my YouTube channel. You can check out the Mavs' press availabilities, and other content can be viewed there throughout the season.
The Mavs now have rim protection options like Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford to slot in at the five, enabling Kleber to be deployed more at the four spot to maximize size without sacrificing shooting or defensive versatility. Dallas can still close games with Kleber as a small ball five as the team against small ball matchups, too.
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