The play happened quickly, so some folks might have missed it.
Mavericks’ big man Maxi Kleber wheeled into the paint, took a pass from Jalen Brunson and threw down a two-handed dunk in the first quarter of Wednesday’s preseason opener.
It caught a lot of people by surprise because of the quickness of the play.
“And there’s Maxi – the slim Maxi – throwing it down,” said Derek Harper on the Mavericks’ telecast.
Harper nailed it.
Kleber looks like he’s playing well below the 240 pounds that he was listed at for the 2020-21 season.
He’s playing like it, too. After having fought an Achilles problem, not to mention COVID-19 problems, last season, he has shown he’s ready to put a dull year behind him.
“I don’t know how much weight (he’s lost), coach Jason Kidd said. “He does look great. Physically and mentally, he’s in a great place. He feels great coming off an injury. But the biggest thing I think is mentally, he’s in a really good place. You can see that in practices and the game.”
Kleber isn’t going to play in the second preseason game, which tips off at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers at American Airlines Center.
But he’s like Kidd. He sees and feels the difference after a season he would rather not talk about.
“I’m doing well,” Kleber said. “I did a lot of stuff to get my body right again because I was dealing with some issues at the end of the season, so I just wanted to make sure it’s right. We made really good progress combined with working out basketball-wise.
“It took some time to get it fully out and even now, sometimes it gets triggered a little bit. But we really found a way to make progress in working out and everything, so I’m fine. I can jump. I can run again like I want to, so that’s the most important part.”
For a guy that thrives on making moves to the rim – at both ends of the floor, given his shot-blocking prowess – Kleber is poised for big things during Kidd’s first year as Mavericks’ coach.
On Wednesday, Kleber had seven points in 19 minutes. But it was the way he got them. He took the pass from Brunson that led to his dunk. And he made his only 3-point attempt.
It’s all pointing toward a much-improved run for Kleber this season.
Inactives: Kleber will sit out Friday’s game, along with Reggie Bullock and, barring an emergency situation, Jalen Brunson.
Those are the three players who are slated to get rest for this game, just as Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell and Frank Ntilikina did on Wednesday.
All three of those are expected to be back in action Friday. Ntilikina returned from getting his work visa, which required a trip to Mexico.
Kidd said that Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Dončić will likely play only the first half against the Clippers, as they did Wednesday in the win over Utah.
Next Wednesday’s game at Charlotte will be more of a regular-season dress rehearsal, Kidd said earlier this week.
Twitter: @ESefko
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