“ You have to ask the 'analytics' sector for this kind of shots! » Maxi Kleber laugh when journalists ask him where his art of “floater” comes from. The Mavs interior resorted to this shot in the fourth quarter of the game of the game in Phoenix.
An important shot 4 minutes from the end, at the very end of the possession, sent on one foot from the free throw line, which gave his team a 13-point lead. “ Yes, he can score as a floater, we tease him with that. He worked on it this summer », notes Jason Kidd.
The German was not satisfied with this unexpected shoot. With his 15 points (5/7 on shots) and 7 rebounds, he brought a necessary second wind to the Mavs who were starting life without Luka Doncic. And who, at the start of the third quarter, lost two starters, PJ Washington and Naji Marshall, expelled, what's more on an evening where Kyrie Irving suffered in attack (6/21 on shots).
“ We told ourselves we had to keep our cool (after the expulsions), stay true to our plan. The guy who followed (in rotation) had to ensure in all cases, That's what we did, we stuck together, we played hard and we made the right choices”lists the 32-year-old.
He had not yet exceeded 10 points
“ Maxi was incredible tonight, on both ends of the pitch. […] A veteran takes the time, the season is long. We like to judge early in the season. The positive is that he doesn't listen to what you have to say. So he goes out there and plays the right way. He is important for us, we see it in the playoffs. And we saw it tonight », congratulates his coach.
This refers to the fact that his player had hardly stood out this season: he had not exceeded the 10 point mark so far. And his total points for the evening are higher than the cumulative… of his last nine outings.
Was the person in question expecting such a match? “ Yes and no. I know my main role is not necessarily offense. It's definitely more fun when you're shooting too. The key point for me is to be consistent in defense and make the right choice in attack, whether it's a shot or not, it could be a screen, the extra pass or something else. But the mindset is to be aggressive, so it's good to get shots in », he appreciates.
Without forgetting, however, that the absences gave him the opportunity to show himself. “ We have a very good depth of squad, it is also clearly a challenge when everyone is in good health. It gives us the chance, in a match like tonight, to show this mentality where everyone must be ready to replace the other », he finishes.
| 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 | 3.2 | 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 | 4.7 | 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 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 5.9 |
| 2023-24 | DAL | 43 | 20 | 43.2 | 34.8 | 70.2 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 4.4 |
| 2024-25 | DAL | 18 | 17 | 34.3 | 28.6 | 62.5 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.8 |
| Total | 424 | 22 | 44.4 | 35.6 | 77.4 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 6.5 | |
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.
