The summer signing of DeAndre Ayton has, at least so far, delivered the results the Los Angeles Lakers were hoping for. Still, the frontcourt remains one of the team’s thinnest areas compared to the top contenders in the Western Conference, and the Bahamian center’s knee injury is understandably a major concern for JJ Redick.

That setback, however, has effectively opened a sliding door for Maxi Kleber, who made just his fifth appearance of the season after dealing with muscle issues early in training camp and seeing limited minutes under Redick, who has so far favored Jaxson Hayes.

It had been a long time – since his most productive stretches with the Mavericks – that the German forward found himself closing a tight game. His foot injury last season, before the trade for Doncic, had limited him to just one appearance in purple and gold: Game 5 against the Timberwolves.

Perhaps the most meaningful praise for Kleber came from Austin Reaves, who didn’t hesitate to acknowledge his composure in crunch-time possessions.

I told him today, like: ‘I know you think I’m joking every time I talk to you,’ but tonight he was one of the best players on the court for us.

Austin Reaves

At nearly 34 years old, the Würzburg native – who developed first with his hometown club and later blossomed at Bayern Munich before making the jump to the NBA – is fully aware that he has only a few remaining opportunities to secure his place in the league. A potential extended absence for Ayton would be just the first of several chances he’ll need to capitalize on in the coming months.