1 Question for every Dallas Mavericks player as countdown to NBA Playoffs begins

4. Maxi Kleber

Will Maxi Kleber be a reliable option from downtown in the playoffs?

At his best, Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber is a great 3-and-D stretch big who can guard multiple positions, guard in space, knock down open shots, and do all the little things on both ends of the floor.

At his worst, Kleber struggles as a defender in space and is a liability on offense. Recently, Kleber has been somewhere in the middle, and him shooting the ball well from downtown could be pivotal for the Mavs.

This season, Kleber is shooting a poor 32.4 percent from downtown, but in the last two games he has been shooting the ball with confidence. Kleber is a combined 3-4 from downtown over the last two games, and we saw how important his shooting was during the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Kleber averaged 8.7 points per game during the 2022 Playoffs while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 43.6 percent from downtown. He was crucial on both ends of the floor for Dallas, but he has been a major question mark this season.

From a toe injury to seeming to have low confidence as a shooter, Kleber has had an up-and-down year. If he can be a consistent and reliable option as a shooter for the Mavs for the remainder of the season and into the playoffs, they have big boom potential.

The Mavs have struggled shooting the ball recently, and if Kleber can start knocking down his open looks, he gives this team a huge boost considering how much they play small ball.