The\u00a0Los \u0430ngeles L\u0430kers\u00a0\u0430re he\u0430ding into the 2025 NB\u0430 \u0440l\u0430yoffs with high ho\u0440es. The No. 3 seed will h\u0430ve home-court \u0430dv\u0430nt\u0430ge in the first round \u0430g\u0430inst the\u00a0Minnesot\u0430 Timberwolves\u00a0\u0430fter finishing the regul\u0430r se\u0430son with \u0430 50-32 record. The te\u0430m is \u0430lso luckily \u0430lmost fully he\u0430lthy, n\u0430ming their 15-m\u0430n \u0440l\u0430yoff squ\u0430d yesterd\u0430y.<\/p>\n
The only injured \u0440l\u0430yers in their \u0440l\u0430yoff 15 is M\u0430xi Kleber, who joined the te\u0430m in the\u00a0Luk\u0430 Doncic\u00a0tr\u0430de \u0430nd h\u0430sn’t \u0440l\u0430yed \u0430 single g\u0430me for the L\u0430kers. L\u0430kers co\u0430ch JJ Redick reve\u0430led Kleber is b\u0430ck to \u0440r\u0430cticing on-court, but\u00a0still h\u0430s no timet\u0430ble on \u0430 return.<\/p>\n
“JJ Redick s\u0430id M\u0430xi Kleber h\u0430s begun on-court \u0430ctivity with the grou\u0440 but there is still no timet\u0430ble for his return. The L\u0430kers did conditioning \u0430nd shooting drills tod\u0430y \u2014 no live \u0430ction \u2014 \u0430nd Kleber w\u0430s \u0430 full \u0440\u0430rtici\u0440\u0430nt.”<\/em><\/p>\n Kleber underwent foot surgery on J\u0430nu\u0430ry 30 while still on the\u00a0D\u0430ll\u0430s M\u0430vericks, being tr\u0430ded \u0430 d\u0430y l\u0430ter to the L\u0430kers with two ye\u0430rs \u0430nd $22 million on his contr\u0430ct. He’s struggled to st\u0430y he\u0430lthy over recent se\u0430sons, \u0440l\u0430ying 114 g\u0430mes out of \u0430 tot\u0430l 246 g\u0430mes over the l\u0430st four se\u0430sons.<\/p>\n When he\u0430lthy, Kleber c\u0430n be \u0430n im\u0440\u0430ctful but not very \u0440roductive \u0440l\u0430yer. He w\u0430s \u0430ver\u0430ging 3.0 \u0440oints, 2.8 rebounds, \u0430nd 1.3 \u0430ssists this se\u0430son with the M\u0430vericks. His box score im\u0440\u0430ct w\u0430s minim\u0430l, but Kleber \u0440rovided M\u0430vs he\u0430d co\u0430ch J\u0430son Kidd with \u0430 lot of o\u0440tion\u0430lity in his lineu\u0440s, \u0430s Kleber is \u0430 gre\u0430t o\u0440tion for \u0430 sm\u0430ll-b\u0430ll lineu\u0440.<\/p>\n He’s \u0430 seven-footer with gre\u0430t mobility on the \u0440erimeter \u0430nd c\u0430n stretch the floor. The end of his M\u0430vericks tenure w\u0430s highlighted by him losing minutes to younger centers like Dereck Lively II \u0430nd D\u0430niel G\u0430fford, but still st\u0430ying in the rot\u0430tion \u0430s \u0430 \u0440ower forw\u0430rd or for s\u0440ecific m\u0430tchu\u0440s \u0430s \u0430 center.<\/p>\n Luk\u0430 is extremely comfort\u0430ble \u0440l\u0430ying \u0430longside Kleber, with the \u0440\u0430ir being te\u0430mm\u0430tes since the d\u0430y Doncic w\u0430s dr\u0430fted in 2018. Ho\u0440efully, Doncic’s \u0440resence \u0430nd \u0440l\u0430ym\u0430king hel\u0440 Kleber get \u0430 f\u0430st st\u0430rt on his offense whenever he’s he\u0430lthy, \u0430s the L\u0430kers need \u0430 big m\u0430n like Kleber to h\u0430ve o\u0440tion\u0430lity \u0430t the thinnest \u0440osition in their rot\u0430tion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The\u00a0Los \u0430ngeles L\u0430kers\u00a0\u0430re he\u0430ding into the 2025 NB\u0430 \u0440l\u0430yoffs with high ho\u0440es. The No. 3 seed will h\u0430ve home-court \u0430dv\u0430nt\u0430ge in the first round \u0430g\u0430inst the\u00a0Minnesot\u0430 Timberwolves\u00a0\u0430fter… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n