Maxi Kleber shot 31 percent from 3-point range in his rookie season.
The 6-10 German import was trying to adapt to the longer NBA 3-point line compared to the international arc.
He did not get discouraged by his early inconsistencies.
“I just tried to stay with the process,” he said recently.
The work clearly is paying off for Kleber and the Mavericks. Over the last 10 games, Kleber has made 24-of-48 3-pointers. That’s 50 percent for the math-impaired.
And for the season, he’s been almost as good, hitting 47.4 percent from downtown.
“The adjustment is obviously the distance,” coach Rick Carlisle said of Kleber’s gradual improvement from long range. “The NBA line is quite a bit farther than the European line. But I don’t think he shot very many international threes before he came here.
“So it was clear early on the adjustments he needed to make. A lot of work went into it. Some of it were simple mechanical adjustments to create more power and leverage on the shot. He’s a tireless worker. He’s put the time in. He’s a guy that understands the importance of process thinking instead of results thinking. The work has paid off.”
Kleber has advanced to the point where he’s a very solid starter on a playoff-bound team. His averages won’t blow anybody away (7.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 27.6 minutes per game). But lately he’s been much improved. Remember, he missed 11 games with COVID-19 issues.
And when he returned, he clearly wasn’t the same player.
But since the All-Star break, he’s averaged 10.3 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Plus, he’s been one of the Mavericks’ most versatile defenders, able to cover big men in the paint and switch onto smaller, perimeter players.
To say the least, he’s come a long way in his four seasons in the NBA.
Remembering the great Elgin Baylor: The NBA family lost one of the best who ever played the game on Monday when Elgin Baylor died at 86.
From the late ‘50s to the early ‘70s, the 6-5 Baylor averaged 27.4 points, 13.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
In his 14-year career, he was an 11-time all-star and is a member of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.
“I talked with him many, many years ago about the Clippers job at one point,” Carlisle said. “He’s a wonderful man. It’s hard to fathom how great a player he was. You look at his statistics and what he did as a small forward with not only the points, but the rebounds and everything else . . .
“But he was also a basketball lifer. He loved the game. He helped build the Clippers into a playoff team back in the early 2000s. Just a man that is universally highly, highly respected. It’s a great loss.”
Baylor spent all his playing career with the Lakers, but made his mark as an executive in the Clippers’ front office from 1986 to 2008.
Luka honored by Real Madrid: Point guard Luka Dončić on Tuesday received the highest honor that European powerhouse Real Madrid can bestow on a former player, making him an honorary club members.
The award goes to those who are role models and display their allegiance to Real Madrid.
The club said that Dončić has “gone on to become one of the greatest names in the NBA after graduating from the Real Madrid Academy. He joined our club as a child, at the age of just 13, and played his part in enhancing our legacy.”
Trade deadline nearing: The NBA’s trade deadline is on Thursday at 2 p.m. and Carlisle offered his standard response when asked about how he handles the hours leading up to the deadline every year.
“I like our team,” he said. “I’ll say the same thing I say every year. I don’t think there’s going to be anything. I could be wrong. I typically don’t address trade rumors because they’re just that. A lot of the nonsense thrown out there is thrown out by bloggers that are just throwing stuff on the wall trying to make stuff stick.”
NBA executives, coaches and players get paid handsomely and putting up with a certain amount of outside distractions is part of the business, he said.
“We’re getting paid a lot of money as players and coaches to deal with some of the external noise,” Carlisle said. “And what you learn is how to block it out and concentrate on keeping yourself ready and keeping your team ready. And if you’re a player, continue to do whatever you can do to help your teammates and help the team win.
“We’ll see what happens, but I’m really just focused on what we’re doing here day to day. And once again, as I always say, I’m very doubtful that anything substantial will happen.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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