Many eyebrows were raised when Maxi Kleber entered the game for the Los Angeles Lakers during a crucial possession in Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on Monday.
Kleber had not played before that point. The Lakers were down by three points, 113-110, with only 12.2 seconds left. Kleber replaced Rui Hachimura, who was shooting well from long distance.
Austin Reaves, however, missed the three-pointer, allowing the Thunder to escape and complete the sweep of their second-round series.
Coach JJ Redick was slammed for deciding to sit Hachimura, who shot 4-of-8 from long range, when they needed a three-pointer. ESPN's Ramona Shelbourne revealed what Redick's thought process was, including putting in Luke Kennard for Jaxson Hayes.
“The explanation I’ve heard is Kleber was in as a screener. Kennard was a decoy (third option). AR or LeBron (James) was getting the shot. (Marcus) Smart was the passer. Kleber is a good screener and good with execution. Hence, he was in there over Rui. Neither was getting the ball. Kennard was in there over Rui because of the gravity he creates,” reported Shelbourne on X.
Fans, however, were still dumbfounded, especially since Hachimura just made a huge four-point play.
“I don't buy it. If the play was getting broken up, which was the case anyway, you need the third-best option, which was Rui,” said @pdowdle.
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“This is still a poor play. Either make the play for Rui, make him the decoy, or tell Rui to get set and f****** wide open because the season is on the line,” added @Naim2099.
“Still doesn't make sense with the night Rui had, especially after hitting that big three late,” echoed @Diesel_562.
“A skilled screener? But if you put Rui in, the defense doesn’t know who to guard, and you can get a rebound. This is BS. JJ made an error,” posted @nobodyhere23.
“Way overthinking it. YOU'RE DOWN THREE. PUT YOUR BEST THREE-POINT SHOOTER IN THE GAME!” commented @skynyrd991.
Hachimura had 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting. He averaged 55.2% from beyond the arc against the Thunder.
He is set to become a free agent in the summer.
Many eyebrows were raised when Maxi Kleber entered the game for the Los Angeles Lakers during a crucial possession in Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto. com Arena on Monday. Kleber had not played before that point. The Lakers were down by three points, 113-110, with only 12. 2 seconds left.