DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks have been hit hard by the loss of Maxi Kleber, who will miss the Western Conference semifinal series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a torn AC joint in his right shoulder.
Kleber was injured in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Clippers and will be re-examined in three weeks. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd already has his eyes on the next player.
“Next guy… We want to be healthy, but with Maxi out, there's nothing we can do but go to the next guy.”
April 2, 2024. San Francisco, California, USA. Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11)
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Tim Hardaway Jr., who is recovering from a sprained right ankle, returned to practice Sunday after a setback. Against a smaller Thunder team, Kidd isn't worried about depth without Clever and is considering bringing Hardaway back into the fold as the “next guy” in this case.
“We'll get Timmy back and we'll be healthy there,” Kidd said. “We lost Maxi, but we've got Timmy back, so that's how you look at it.”
Kleber's absence is a big loss for the Mavericks, considering he has been relied upon as the main switching option in the five while being the main option in the stretch five. He has often been relied on to finish games throughout the season because of those intangibles.
In Game 5 against the Clippers, Kleber shined, scoring 15 points while shooting 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. He is confident in his ability to overcome Kleber's absence, considering the Mavericks have dealt with no shortage of scenarios that required adaptation throughout the season.
“Just to see one of our family members go through such bad conditions, it hits all of us,” Mavericks rookie center Derek Lively II said. “But Maxi knows we're protecting him and we know we're going to do everything we can to get him back.”
If a deeper rotation of center options is needed, Kidd believes the team could turn to Markieff Morris, Dwight Powell or P.J. Washington, depending on the situation.
“Oklahoma isn't a big team,” Kidd said. “We can see [Markieff Morris], [Dwight Powell]and [P.J. Washington], there are quite a few bigs you can go to, so there's no shortage of bigs. ”
With Kleber out, the Mavericks will rely on their depth and versatility to overcome losses and earn a playoff berth. Lively and Daniel Gafford have worked hard to adapt to handling stretch bigs like Chet Holmgren, but they may need to do more of that. If a team wants to match up well in coverage against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they'll likely need to play closer to screen level and will likely consider switching or blitzing.
“I have to go get him,” Lively said. “We have to take it game by game.”
The Mavericks will have to adapt quickly, as Game 1 of the series against the Thunder begins Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. at Oklahoma State.
