The Los Angeles Lakers were shorthanded in their regular season opener against the Golden State Warriors as LeBron James, Adou Thiero and Maxi Kleber did not play due to injury.
James and Thiero had previously been ruled out, while Kleber was listed as questionable because of an oblique strain.
The 33-year-old missed most of the preseason due to a quad injury but was able to play in the finale. His latest ailment surfaced only a day before opening tipoff and he is now expected to be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Despite the setback, Lakers head coach JJ Redick is hopeful that Kleber will be able to make his 2025-26 debut sooner rather than later as he feels for the big man.
“Maxi is a pro,” Redick said. “He’s just a terrific teammate and a hard worker. I feel bad for him. I feel really bad for him right now.
“He bemoaned me yesterday, he’s like, ‘I do everything right, I take care of myself, I get my sleep and put the right things in my body, I work out, I train.’ He’s just been bit a little bit by the injury bug the last two seasons so I really feel for him. I’m thankful this is a short-term thing, but I know that he’ll be in a position in a few weeks to help this basketball team.”
The Lakers acquired Kleber from the Dallas Mavericks in the blockbuster trade involving Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis. He was limited to only one playoff game with L.A. last season while recovering from foot surgery.
Kleber was projected to get minutes as the Lakers’ third-string center this season behind DeAndre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes. Now with Kleber expected to be sidelined for the next few weeks, Ayton and Hayes could be relied on even more in the short term.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic believes groin injury is ‘probably nothing’
Luka Doncic finished with a game-high 43 points on 17-of-27 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and one block against the Warriors.
The superstar was seen hobbling late in the game after appearing to hurt his groin. Doncic then took more than an hour and a half to speak to the media after the game, likely getting treatment on the injury.
“It’s probably nothing,” he said. “Just felt it a little bit because my hip went the opposite way. Felt it a little bit, but it’s probably nothing.”
Despite what Doncic said, this is obviously a bit of a concern for the Lakers. They are already without LeBron James so if Luka were to miss time, it would be tough to muster enough offense to compete on a nightly basis.
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