UPDATE: Maxi Kleber will, indeed, be available for Wednesday’s Game 5 against the Wolves, head coach JJ Redick said pregame.
Given the fact he hasn’t played a single minute with the Lakers and has been out since before the All-Star break, it’s very unlikely that he plays. His last on-court action came on Jan. 25.
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Original story follows.
Fear not, Lakers fans, help is on the way.
As Los Angeles prepares for a must-win contest against the Wolves, the Lakers have upgraded Maxi Kleber to questionable for Game 5.
Kleber was part of the blockbuster trade that brought Luka Dončić to Los Angeles, but has yet to play since he’s been recovering from right foot surgery.
Upon joining the Lakers in February, Kleber said he would be re-evaluated in eight weeks and sure enough, he was cleared for on-court activities in April.
He has yet to make his Lakers debut, but he has been with the team and has participated in practice.
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Similar to Luka, Kleber played only for the Mavericks before being traded to the Lakers. During his eight seasons in Dallas, he averaged 6.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in his 22.3 minutes of play.
Kleber being this close to playing is fantastic news for himself and the Lakers.
This upgrade indicates that he is doing well in his recovery, and Los Angeles could certainly use all the help it can get in the big department.
In this series, Jaxson Hayes is the only traditional big the Lakers have had and he’s been awful during the brief moments he’s played against the Wolves.
In Game 4, Hayes was benched during the second half. Lakers coach JJ Redick wouldn’t say if he’d start him again for Game 5 or go instead with Dorian Finney-Smith, who took his spot in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss.
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Kleber gives the Lakers at least the possibility of another option at the four or five.
Now the Lakers might still opt to sit him. Kleber has never played with this team during an NBA game and this is a very high-pressure situation to try and learn on the fly.
With Kleber upgraded to questionable, the Lakers are the healthiest they have ever been this season.
Every rotation player is available and if Kleber is upgraded again, Los Angeles will have the entire roster at their disposal for the biggest game of the year.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
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