Dallas Mavericks' Maxi Kleber Could Miss Rest of Postseason Due to Shoulder Injury

Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber suffers full dislocation of AC joint in right shoulder, potentially missing remainder of the postseason.

Apr 28, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; LA Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) shoots as Dallas / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber reportedly suffered a full dislocation of the AC joint in his right shoulder, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, putting his postseason in jeopardy.

Kleber was injured during Game 6 against the Los Angeles Clippers when Amir Coffey fouled him about a minute into the second quarter. He went down hard, attempted to shoot his free throws, and eventually left the game, not returning.

Apr 28, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; LA Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) shoots as Dallas / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

During his postgame interview, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd wasn't aware of the severity of Kleber's injury, but emphasized the need to continue to embrace a "next man up" mentality. Dallas has a 23-16 record without Kleber in the lineup this season, with him missing a substantial amount of games early in the season due to a right small toe dislocation.

Kleber has averaged 5.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists this postseason, shooting an impressive 52.4% from the floor and 55.6% from beyond the arc. With his defensive versatility to switch and guard in space and being a floor spacing option, Dallas has utilized him next to a traditional center—like Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II—and sliding him over to the center spot in small ball configurations.

"Maxi's role doesn't change," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. "He's out there to help defensively and on the offensive end to spread the floor and knock down open threes or make a play for a teammate."

Kleber's perimeter shooting has been crucial to the Mavericks' playoff success. He hit four of six three-pointers in the first half of Game 5 against the Los Angeles Clippers and added another in the second half, scoring 15 points and helping the Mavericks take a 3-2 series lead at the time. When his shot is falling, he is a critical spacing threat for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

"Amazing, man," 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."

Kleber's presence on the court allows the Mavericks to create open shots and pressure the defense. Dallas will now need to lean more on alternative options

"It's very important for us with Luka and Kyrie running the offense," Kleber said. "The more they attack, the defense will collapse, and everybody else will be open. That's how we create those shots."

The Mavericks must rely on their bench players to fill the void left by Kleber's injury, testing the team's depth and resilience as they continue their postseason journey. Considering they will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals, it could prove challenging to overcome losing a versatile complementary talent against a versatile big man like Chet Holmgren, containing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the head of the snake, and the other talent they have.