It's been a while since Maxi Kleber was last seen on the floor playing. The Dallas Mavericks big man has not seen action alongside Luka Doncic and company since December due to a lower-body injury, but it seems as though he is on the verge of returning.

“Mavs C/PF Maxi Kleber says he’s ‘not quite yet' ready to return from his torn hamstring but “very close.” That will be a major boost to Dallas defense,” Tim MacMahon of ESPN reports.

There were fans expecting Kleber would return to action to help Luka Doncic and the Mavs before the NBA All-Star Weekend. Instead, the wait has gotten longer for the Mavericks, who could use Kleber's presence to help stabilize their defense. So far in the 2022-23 NBA regular season, the Mavs are 12th in the NBA with 112.5 points allowed per game but 17th in 50.3 points in the paint given up per contest. Kleber is a decent rim protector for the Mavs when he's healthy, as he was averaging 1.0 blocks per game before his injury.

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Moreover, Kleber provides another point of attack on offense for the Mavericks because of his ability to stretch the floor, making 1.1 3-pointers on 36.9 percent shooting from behind the arc.

The Mavs' defense has taken a hit with the team giving up Dorian Finney-Smith as part of a deal that had them acquiring the services of Kyrie Irving, so Kleber is one of those guys Dallas is counting on to give the team a shot in the arm on that end of the floor once he's cleared to play again.