4 Dallas Mavericks players who need more minutes, 3 who need less over final stretch

4. Needs less minutes: Maxi Kleber

Maxi Kleber has turned a poor start to the season into a solid season as he has become a crucial part of the rotation, but decreasing Kleber's minutes a bit may be in Dallas' best interest.

This season for the Mavs, Kleber is averaging 5.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from downtown. Kleber has taken a step forward on defense after struggling tremendously early in the season, and his toe has finally healed.

The last two seasons have been flooded with injuries for Kleber, and recovering from a torn hamstring isn't easy. He has put his hamstring and toe injury behind him, but Kleber playing heavy minutes means fewer minutes for the rest of Dallas' bigs. Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are both players who this affects, and finding a better balance here would be ideal for the regular season.

Dallas' end-game lineup seems to include Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, P.J. Washington, and Kleber. Kleber's ability to play the small-ball five is beneficial, but his true position is still power forward.

Lively II or Gafford could be in Dallas' closing lineup if their matchup is going big, and this could be a way to take Kleber's minutes down.