Gauging the panic meter on 5 struggling Mavericks before NBA Playoffs

1. Maxi Kleber

Dallas Mavericks veteran forward has had a productive month of April and looks to be much more confident on both ends of the floor, but his concerning month of March must be looked into a little bit when analyzing his performances heading into the playoffs.

This season for Dallas, Kleber is averaging 4.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from downtown. This has undoubtedly been the worst season of Kleber's career, and although his play on both ends has looked promising lately, he needs to continue this into the playoffs.

In the month of March, Kleber averaged 2.2 points per game while shooting 32.3 percent from the field and 24 percent from downtown. Kleber has always been judged on his ability to do the little things, play good defense, and play with physicality when on the floor, but even those things can cover up how poorly he played in March.

He didn't look confident when shooting the ball and his defense as a stretch big wasn't good enough to warrant him playing heavy minutes either. Jason Kidd hasn't been playing as much small ball with Kleber at the five recently, but he is someone who they will need to play well in the playoffs.

Kleber was a huge difference maker during the team's 2022 playoff run, and if Mavs fans could see similar results in the 2024 playoffs if he can keep playing like he has been. He has been much more confident, he is extremely versatile, and his defense has been superb.

Panic Meter - 4