The Mavericks meet the Portland Trail Blazers tonight to close out a three-game homestand but they’ll unfortunately be a little shorthanded, both for now and the foreseeable future.
The team announced on Thursday that big man Maxi Kleber will be out indefinitely after suffering a right hamstring tear in practice earlier this week. It’s a hugely disappointing injury for Kleber, to be sure, as he’s off to a terrific start this season, with averages of 6.2 points, 3.5 boards, and a block off the bench while shooting nearly 37 percent from beyond the arc.
Mavs fans know he’s one of the most versatile big men in the league, possessing the ability to both roll to the rim and shoot the 3-ball on offense alongside the combination of strength and quickness to defend both inside and out at the other end of the floor.
It will be a challenge for the Mavs to replace Kleber’s production and impact, but the team does have a few options. First and foremost, free agent acquisition JaVale McGee could see a return to the lineup. Last weekend in Chicago, McGee scored a season-high 18 points in just 17 minutes, albeit in a lopsided affair while Luka Dončić and others were out. The 34-year-old vet is more of a traditional big man than a new-age, switchable one like Kleber, but he can certainly help replace Kleber’s presence around the rim on both offense and defense.
If head coach Jason Kidd prefers shooting to interior help, he could instead turn to Dāvis Bertāns, who got a crack at those minutes on Wednesday night against the Cavs as the Mavs were playing from behind.
Dallas could also opt to play smaller instead, which could come into play in tonight’s particular game against the Blazers. Portland features a very guard-heavy lineup featuring star guards Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons flanked by 6-foot-5 Josh Hart and 6-foot-8 Jerami Grant. Only three players in the Blazers’ regular rotation are taller than 6-foot-9. They spread the floor and try to attack you from all angles and it’s worked to great success for fifth-place Portland.
Perhaps this is the kind of game where we could see reserve guards Kemba Walker or rookie Jaden Hardy get more play, in addition to another extended look at Frank Ntilikina off the bench. Matching quickness with quickness might be the play in a game like this one.
Finally, of course, there are options available both in free agency and the trade market, and you can bet the Mavs front office will explore every available option and then some to improve the roster and remain competitive in the Western Conference.
Not every team in the NBA plays small-ball, but not every club is full of giants, either. The Mavericks seem to have built this roster in an effort to be as flexible as possible depending on the matchup.
Without question, losing players to injury limits your ability to be versatile. There’s no one else on the roster who can do what Kleber does, for example. But Dallas will have to find a way to make it work without him.
The NBA season is full of challenges, and Kleber and the Mavericks are unfortunately facing a big one right now. As we all know, however, it’s not the difficulties you face that matter the most. It’s how you respond to them. And we’ll see how Dallas does that starting tonight.
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