Welcome to our Lakers Season Preview Series! For the next several weeks, we’ll be writing columns every weekday, breaking down the biggest questions we have about every player the Lakers added this offseason. Today, we look at Maxi Kleber.
When Maxi Kleber came to the Lakers alongside Luka Dončić last season, it became clear early on that it was unlikely he would factor into the 2024-25 season.
It was for that reason, among a myriad of others, that fans were likely double-checking the roster and cleaning
their glasses when Kleber not only debuted in Game 5 of the playoffs, but was playing crucial minutes in the fourth quarter. Completely unsurprisingly, he was a non-factor in his limited run.
But it does raise an interesting question heading into the 2025-26 season. Was that a head coach trying one last, desperate move to win a postseason game or is there a path to playing time for Kleber this season?
What is his best-case scenario?
Kleber does offer something that no other player on the Lakers roster does as a stretch big. At his best in the 2020-21 season, Kleber shot 41% from three and grabbed 5.2 rebounds per game in nearly 27 minutes per night.
Expecting him to play as well as he did five years ago, especially post-injury, is unrealistic. But playing something close to that would be a lift for the Lakers. The problem is, since that season, he’s never shot better than 34.8% from beyond the arc in a season.
But if we’re looking at best case scenarios, it’d involve him coming in at around 38% shooting from range and being adept enough defensively to stay on the floor for a couple of stretches each game. Would that be enough to have him take over Jaxson Hayes’ role as the backup center? Could he even feature in lineups with multiple bigs on the floor?
If he is at his best, or something even just resembling it, he’ll likely get playing time as it gives the team a different dynamic offensively.
What is his worst-case scenario?
By worst-case scenario standards, Kleber’s wouldn’t be ultimately all that meaningful for the Lakers. He came to LA as salary attached to Luka to make a deal work. If it doesn’t work, then he’s off the books this summer or is shipped out during the season.
It’s also pretty easy to see how it wouldn’t work. Last season, he shot a career-worst 26.5% from the 3-point line, albeit on also a career-low attempts per game. His value is in what he can bring offensively and if he’s a stretch big that can’t knock down threes, then he loses a lot of value on that end of the floor.
And he needs to be good offensively to get on the floor because he is a liability even at his best defensively. He doesn’t offer anything as a rim protector, isn’t a strong rebounder and can’t switch onto perimeter players. If all of that remains an issue this season, then he won’t see the floor.
What is his most likely role on the team?
The reality of what Kleber will be for this team is much closer to the latter scenario than the former. He’s 33 years old, coming off a long-term leg injury and he was already on the backside of his prime. He will likely get some opportunities during the preseason, but he’ll be hard-pressed to see actual NBA minutes.
His most likely role for this team will be the salary ballast in a consolidation trade rather than any meaningful on-court role.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
