Mavs Receive Brutal Injury News Before Facing Thunder

Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber will miss the remainder of the NBA postseason indefinitely due to a severe shoulder injury. He suffered a third-degree dislocation of the AC joint in his right shoulder during Friday’s Game 6 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The injury occurred when he fell hard on his shoulder after being fouled by Clippers forward Amir Coffey early in the second quarter.

The Mavericks, who face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals starting Tuesday, will likely be without Kleber for the remainder of the playoffs.

Kleber, a key defender and lineup versatile player, has been crucial to the Mavericks’ playoff success. He averaged 5.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists this postseason, shooting 52.4% from the floor and 55.6% from beyond the arc. In Game 5, Kleber scored 15 points on 5-7 shooting, including five makes from the perimeter.

“Amazing, man,” teammate Luka Doncic said of Kleber’s play in Game 5. “I think we created a lot of open shots. And Maxi knocking down three in a row, that helped. The whole team, the energy, the bench was into the game. He was very big today. Big shots.”

Without Kleber, the Mavericks lose an option with comparable size to space the floor to make it easier for Doncic and Kyrie Irving to operate in the half-court while being the main option the team trusts to play the five spot and switch in ball screen coverages.

Against a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder—the Mavericks’ second-round playoff matchup—frontcourt versatility is vital to handle Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in ball-screening actions.

Dallas may need to be more willing to switch with its traditional center options—Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II—but doing so and even playing closer to the level of screens will require the unit to be tied together, particularly with low defender rotations and extra effort on closeouts.

One option the Mavericks haven’t turned to much has been to deploy Washington at the five spot for extended stretches. He has a strong frame and a lengthy wingspan, making him a potential option, but the team is light on options to throw out there on the wing if he slides over to a small ball center role. It would surely require more usage of Dante Exum or Tim Hardaway Jr. or a very substantial playing time for the current top rotation players.