If any Maverick deserves a run of uninterrupted good health, it’s Maxi Kleber.
The 6-10 Kleber is entering his seventh season with the club and the last few have been a bit annoying.
Maybe more than a bit, actually.
To review, after playing all 74 games in the COVID-19 marred 2019-20 season, Kleber missed 22 games the following season, 23 games in 2021-22 and 45 games last season.
It’s been a rough stretch of mostly nagging injuries, but problems that demand attention.
Last year was particularly irksome, since it came after the 2022 playoffs, when Kleber shined, helping the Mavericks win two of the first three games in the first-round series against Utah – without Luka Dončić, who was recovering from a calf strain.
He averaged 17.7 points and shot 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from three-point range in those three games.
Then, last season was basically a bust. And it turned this summer into a critical rehab stretch.
“I wanted to make sure I was healthy,” Kleber said of his summer. “That was obviously not the case last year and it was very frustrating when you can’t be out there with the team. So the goal (in the summer) was to progressively increase the workouts to be ready for the long NBA season.”
Then, Kleber declared himself “fully recovered” from the right hamstring tear for which he needed surgery in December. He was projected to miss the rest of the season, but returned for 15 games late in the season.
He wasn’t himself, clearly, shooting just 31.9 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 5.5 points.
And the Mavericks weren’t great as a team, either. And that’ not completely a coincidence.
There’s no doubting the importance Kleber has on their success. He is a big man who can guard multiple positions and switch on virtually any defensive situation. He’s a good shot-blocker from the weak side. And a strong defender in general. And he’s one of the Mavericks’ best floor-stretchers as a big man who can knock down a three-point shot.
But he can’t do any of that if his wheels aren’t right.
And that’s why this summer was important from a health standpoint. He had time to work on everything on his right leg, which also has had knee problems in the past.
So now, the goal is to be fully healthy and ready to go with with Kleber believes is a team that is ready to make up for missing the playoffs last season.
“Obviously, there’s a certain feeling of that chip on your shoulder, because last year obviously was very disappointing,” Kleber said. “But we want to move on from that. We have a lot to prove and make up for.
“It’s not going to be easy. The league is really competitive and has a lot of good teams. But we believe in ourselves and we want to make up for what happened last year.”
Coach Jason Kidd has made improving the overall defense a priority this season and there has been a solid amount of teaching in training camp, even if the schedule of games has been tough.
The Mavericks spent 12 days overseas for two games in Abu Dhabi against Minnesota and one in Spain, against a non-NBA team, Real Madrid.
Kleber is expecting a better defensive showing from the Mavericks this season.
“We have a lot of guys that can play really good isolation defense,” he said. “I don’t think we’re losing anything on the offensive end and on the defensive end, I think we did make some improvements.”
One of those improvements was Grant Williams, the newcomer from Boston who has a hard-nosed attitude on defense and spent a lot of time in the Eastern Conference playoffs guarding the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Kleber knows he’ll have help on the front line defensively from Williams, 7-2 rookie Dereck Lively II and veteran center Richaun Holmes.
“It’s always a challenge when you have new players come in, obviously,” Kleber said. “But you also have a lot of experienced guys who are here that can help them out.”
“Grant has proven to be a very valuable player. I’ve watched Dereck (Lively II) work out the last few weeks working out and his ability to finish around the rim and sets good screens – he understands the game really well. And Richaun, too, brings a lot of experience.”
Whatever Kidd decides on his rotation of big men, you can be certain that it will work better if Kleber is healthy.
And no one deserves it more.
BRIEFLY: The Mavericks on Saturday waived three players as they got below the limit for players on the roster going into the season. They asked for waivers on Jordan Walker, Mike Miles Jr. and Joe Wieskamp. Miles was on a two-way contract while Walker and Wieskamp both were free-agent signees just before camp began. The move allows all three players time to find another team, whether it’s in the NBA or elsewhere, to play this season. The team now has 17 players. The limit is 15 players on full contracts and a maximum of three players on two-way deals.
Twitter: @ESefko
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