Dallas Mavericks: Maxi Kleber (health and safety) out at least 10 days

Dallas Mavericks: Maxi Kleber (health and safety) out at least 10 days

Dallas Mavericks big man Maxi Kleber has been key this season. The stats may not jump off the page, but the 6’10 big man is an outstanding defender that spaces the floor. Coach Rick Carlisle moved him into the starting five because of it, and the Mavs are undefeated in their last three games.

Dallas took another hit on Sunday. They were already without Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Jalen Brunson because of the league’s health and safety protocols. Now, Maxi Kleber will join them as sidelined for at least ten days, according to Shams Charania.

Who steps up to fill his place in the lineup? Let us take a closer look.

Who steps up for Dallas Mavericks with Maxi Kleber out?

Dallas is getting light on healthy players. They have Willie Cauley-Stein, James Johnson, Dwight Powell, and Boban Marjanovic to play the four and the five, though. None of them offers the defensive versatility of Maxi Kleber, but the Mavericks will have to make due on Jan. 11. Those four players will all see significant minutes versus the Pelicans. Johnson could be in for massive minutes defending Zion Williamson.

The big man question mark is Kristaps Porzingis. Expect him to return to the lineup before Kleber. The Unicorn has not played this season as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery. KP will provide a massive lift to the Mavs.

Expect the Dallas Mavericks to be forced to go deep into their bench on Monday night against New Orleans. If Porzingis is out, they will be missing five key rotation players for the tilt. Winning down that many players will not be easy. Expect Luka Doncic to go off to keep Dallas in the game. Stay tuned to see how it all plays out.