When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, Maxi Kleber was also part of the deal to help with salary matching.
Since joining the Lakers, Kleber has been dealing with an injury he sustained while playing for the Dallas Mavericks. As such, he’s been somewhat of an afterthought for Lakers and and the wider NBA fanbase.
However, it would appear that Kleber could be back to full fitness ahead of the postseason. According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, who was speaking via his ‘Buha’s Block’ podcast, the Lakers are ‘optimistic’ regarding Kleber’s potential return to fitness.
“I’ve heard that there is some optimism that a return before the end of the regular season is possible,” Buha said.
Kleber, 33, has played in 34 games this season, averaging 3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He can play as a power forward and a center. When healthy, he will give JJ Redick some insurance in the front court, and could potentially earn himself a role off the Lakers bench.
Lakers Have Become a Defensive Machine
Since acquiring Doncic, the Lakers have become a defensive machine. Redick appears to have found a system that brings the best out of his rotation, despite the notion that Doncic is an unwilling defender.
According to Cleaning The Glass, Los Angeles ranks first in defensive rating for the past two weeks. Of course, LeBron James, Jarred Vanderbilt and Dorian Finney-Smith, three versatile defenders, having been doing a significant amount of the heavy lifting.
If the Lakers can continue to play defense at their current high level while figure out some of their defensive struggles, they could emerge as genuine contenders once the playoffs begin.
Lakers’ LeBron James Slammed by Jason Whitlock
While the Lakers have been hitting all the right notes on the court, LeBron James has been ruffling some feathers off of it. The veteran superstar recently shared his thoughts on the state of NBA media and how the game is covered.
In response, veteran reporter, Jason Whitlock, posted a scathing response to James’ comments.
“The LeBron James pity party must end,” Whitlock wrote. “He chose to enter the Opinion Olympics. He launched a barbershop talk show and now wants to complain about barbershop sports conversations. Stop it. He decided to bring his unqualified opinions into the political arena…He made himself polarizing…He made the NBA polarizing…These whining jocks defending him need to man up and take responsibility. Can’t take the heat from the fire they built.”
Regardless of what people think of James, the fact remains that he’s arguably the greatest player in history. Lakers fans are now getting to see a passing of the torch as James and Doncic share the court together. There’s a tangible excitement over the direction of the franchise.
If Kleber comes back from injury, and helps provide some additional depth, and the Lakers can make a deep postseason push, James’ comments will quickly be forgotten.
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