LOS ANGELES – When the dust settled and the comeback was complete, the Los Angeles Lakers grabbed their second consecutive win as they knocked off the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. It was Austin Reaves dropping 33 points albeit on a minutes restriction that helped turn the tide in the fourth quarter. But the Lakers’ win wouldn’t have been complete without Maxi Kleber, and Marcus Smart made sure to note that.
Following the Lakers’ come from behind win against the 76ers, Marcus Smart explained why the team made sure to celebrate Maxi Kleber’s performance.
“He’s the ultimate professional. There’s a reason why Maxi’s still in the league, still playing, and there’s a reason why he’s on this team with us,” Smart said. “There’s a reason why we celebrate him the way we do because he comes in every day no matter what, and he gives that, whether it’s in practice, whether it’s in a game, whether he plays two minutes, whether he plays 20.”
“We enjoy watching Maxi because we know how hard he works and we know what he’s going to give every night,” Smart continued. “That’s nothing of a surprise for us. We’re just excited to see him out there getting a chance to do it.”
With reserve big man Jaxson Hayes suspended due to shoving the Washington Wizards’ mascot during a game last week, Kleber was given the opportunity for backup center minutes. He responded with a strong overall game, finishing with four points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in 26 minutes. He was a team-high plus-23.
All of Kleber’s rebounds were on the offensive end, giving the Lakers extra possessions. And perhaps most importantly, he provided a solid defensive counter to 76ers star big man Joel Embiid in the fourth quarter. Lakers head coach JJ Redick opted to close the game with Kleber, playing him for the bulk of the final period.
Although box score wise Kleber had a solid game, it was what didn’t show up on the stat sheet that Redick believed he made the most impact.
“Maxi made a number of plays that don’t necessarily show up on the box score. Had a Gortat [screen] on AR [Austin Reaves] in the first half, he had the Gortat to help close the game with LeBron’s dunk down the middle. He just played great defense,” Redick said. “While Maxi scored some, I thought his containment when he switched on to [Tyrese] Maxey was really good.”
Kleber’s 26 minutes were a season-high. His playing time has fluctuated throughout the season, but he’s stayed ready and has helped in terms of leadership even if he doesn’t see the floor. Since being traded to the Lakers via the Luka Doncic deal, Kleber had dealt with unfortunate injury luck, but he’s healthy now.
“Maxi, it doesn’t matter if he’s played and had a big impact, and the he’s a DNP the next game, even when he was battling through some injuries to start the season, his spirit, his approach, his being a teammate and rooting for other people, it never changes,” Redick said. “He’s just, for all our guys, he’s an easy guy to root for.”
This season, Kleber has appeared in 25 games, including one start, at just about 11 minutes per game. He’s averaged 2.0 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 37.8 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free-throw line.
