It’s been three years since Maxi Kleber never exceeded 60 regular season games. The last was the worst of the three with a hamstring injury which required an operation in December and kept him away from the field for many months.
Announced forfeiture until the end of the 2022-2023 financial year, the German interior was however able to return at the end of the financial year, and the summer nevertheless allowed it to return to its best condition. Especially since he did not participate in Germany’s world title, remaining behind after Dennis Schroder’s accusations.
“I wanted to make sure I was healthy”, did he declare. “That obviously wasn’t the case last year and it was very frustrating not being able to play with the team. So the goal for the summer was to gradually increase training sessions in order to be ready for the long NBA season.”
A place to (re)make yourself in the rotation
In the first three preseason games played (and lost) by the Mavs, Maxi Kleber has not yet exceeded 15 minutes of playing time. This is the start of a long journey for Dallas who knows they are expected at the recovery, especially by its fans after the fiasco at the end of last season, where the Mavs did not even see the play-in.
“Obviously there is some pressure on our shoulders because last year was very disappointing. But we want to turn the page. We have a lot to prove and catch up”he added. “It won’t be easy. The league is really competitive and has a lot of good teams. But we believe in ourselves and we want to make up for what happened last year.”
To start with a new dynamic, the Texan franchise extended Kyrie Irving but also reshaped its interior sector. A new device which will provide more guarantees to Jason Kidd’s training in defense, according to Maxi Kleber.
“We have a lot of guys who can defend very well in isolation,” did he declare. “I don’t think we lost anything offensively, and defensively, I think we made progress.”
Quality competition
The question of his place in this new roster remains unresolved after three preseason matches. With the arrivals of Grant Williams, Richaun Holmes and the expected emergence of rookie Derek Lively II, the competition will be tough. But the German has the abilities and the profile to find a place in J-Kidd’s rotation.
“It is obvious that the arrival of new players is always a challenge. But there are also a lot of experienced guys who are there who can help them. Grant (Williams) has proven himself to be a very valuable player. I’ve watched Derek Lively II practice over the last few weeks, and his ability to finish near the rim and set good screens – he really understands the game well. And Richaun Holmes, too, brings a lot of experience.”
| Maxi Kleber | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | DAL | 72 | 17 | 48.9 | 31.3 | 74.6 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 5.4 |
| 2018-19 | DAL | 71 | 21 | 45.3 | 35.3 | 78.4 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 6.8 |
| 2019-20 | DAL | 74 | 26 | 46.1 | 37.3 | 84.9 | 1.5 | 3.7 | 5.2 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 9.1 |
| 2020-21 | DAL | 50 | 27 | 42.2 | 41.0 | 91.9 | 0.9 | 4.3 | 5.2 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 7.1 |
| 2021-22 | DAL | 59 | 25 | 39.8 | 32.5 | 70.8 | 1.2 | 4.8 | 5.9 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 7.0 |
| 2022-23 | DAL | 37 | 25 | 45.6 | 34.8 | 71.1 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 6.0 |
| Total | 363 | 23 | 44.7 | 35.8 | 78.7 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 7.0 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
