Maxi Kleber has played sparingly during the 2025-26 season, but he’s made an impact when called upon. Kleber has mostly ridden the bench in his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers, though he’s stepped in admirably whenever the rotation is hit by injuries.
Head coach JJ Redick has a lot of respect for Kleber, calling him a winning player whom his teammates love. However, Redick hasn’t been able to find much time for the veteran as he’s leaned on Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes as his primary centers.
Injuries have also played a part in Kleber’s lack of minutes as he’s currently out of the lineup due to a lumbar back issue. While it isn’t considered serious, Kleber has already missed a couple of games including the Lakers’ first game of their road trip against the Houston Rockets.
Redick announced Kleber will be sidelined for the next few days though he and the team hope that he’ll be able to return at some point on their road trip, via Khobi Price of The California Post:
Maxi Kleber has been "shut down" for 5 days because of the lumbar back strain, per JJ Redick, and isn't with the team to start the 6-game trip.
JJ said the hope is that Maxi joins the team at some point during the trip.
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) March 17, 2026
With Kleber set to miss the next five days, the soonest he could return would be next Monday against the Detroit Pistons. The road trip ends the following game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, giving him at least two games to potentially make his return.
While Kleber would be good to have available for depth purposes, Redick’s largely used small-ball lineups when he’s short big men. Ayton has also started to show signs of life the past couple of weeks, mitigating the need for Redick to utilize Kleber.
Hopefully, the big man isn’t forced to miss too much time as there will likely be situations where his presence would be useful. For now, his status will be worth monitoring as the week goes on.
Maxi Kleber feels energy and support from Lakers teammates
When Maxi Kleber is on the floor, he always finds a way to make a winning play that might not necessarily show up in the box score. The Lakers seem to love rooting for Kleber and the veteran big man said he can feel his teammates’ energy and support.
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