Maxi Kleber is going to be the Los Angeles Lakers’ backup center. Based on how things unfolded last season, it is pretty obvious that is exactly what JJ Redick wants.
Kleber was barely visible for most of the year, playing just 34 games in the regular season. He missed months due to injury and logged just five playoff minutes in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. But when it mattered, Redick turned to him, not Jaxson Hayes.
Redick’s trust in Hayes practically evaporated post the Luka Doncic trade. Despite the Lakers being physically outmatched by the Timberwolves’ size, Hayes was stapled to the bench. A big reason for that was his lack of discipline on the defensive end. He averaged 2.0 fouls in just 7.8 playoff minutes per game. That is pretty much unplayable in any high-stakes setting.
Maxi, on the other hand, brings reliability, even if it is understated. As Jovan Buha explained on Buha’s Block, there’s been “some chatter that they are considering Maxi for the primary center spot.”
That may not come to pass, but it reinforces how the team sees him: trusted, experienced, and system-friendly.
Kleber gives Redick more options when the game tightens up
Even amid the trade rumors of the Lakers’ trying to move on from Kleber and Gabe Vincent, Buha made it clear that moving the big man is unlikely.
“They would probably need two second-round picks to get off either one of them… and they just don’t have that right now. One second isn’t enough, and a first is too much.”
Keeping Kleber is not the worst thing in the world. He offers something this team lacks elsewhere, which is the ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc.
He is a true hybrid big. He can switch defensively, rotate in help, space the floor, and keep Donciccomfortable. That last part matters more than people realize.
Kleber and Doncic logged years together while on the Dallas Mavericks, including a couple of deep playoff runs. That kind of familiarity is valuable, especially in tight moments and games.
Deandre Ayton is going to start, but Kleber’s versatility gives Redick more options than Hayes when the game tightens up. He does not need 30 minutes a night, but he needs to be ready, and Redick clearly believes he can be.
His injury last season slowed things down, and as Buha fairly pointed out, there’s “skepticism that Maxi can be a contributor… based on the extent of his injury.” But even a cautious version of Kleber offers more trust than Hayes has earned, even if the Lakers just re-signed the big man this offseason.