On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers had no injuries and did not report any injuries after back-to-back wins over the weekend over the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, things changed on Tuesday when the team announced that veteran forward Maxi Kleber is suffering from back pain.
Maxi Kleber downgraded to questionable after game against Pelicans
Maxi Kleber (back soreness) has been downgraded to questionable for tonight’s game against New Orleans.
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) March 3, 2026
After Sunday’s blowout win over the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena, Lakers head coach JJ Redick was asked about Kleber’s impact on the team despite not seeing much of the floor during the 2025-26 NBA season.
“He’s a great teammate,” Redick said of Kleber. “It’s easy to root for his success, and I think it’s because of when he started his NBA career and some injuries. You know, he’s not the same as he was when he was at his peak in Dallas. You know, I thought he was one of the most impactful, versatile defenders in the NBA, but he just plays winning basketball and is very, very unselfish and selfless.”
Doncic, who has played alongside Kleber throughout his NBA career, also chimed in with the veteran big man after showing some highlights against the Kings.
“I always say Maxi, and I really enjoyed all the things he does that sometimes don’t show up in the stats from his time in Dallas, but it’s great to play with him,” Doncic said.
Veteran forward Rui Hachimura also praised Kleber’s impact on the team after Sunday’s game against Sacramento.
“He’s the guy who builds our team,” Hachimura said of Kleber. “He has good energy. He always brings good energy to the team. We always talk about how he has to be more like Maxi, how he has to be more like Maxi. I know how he works on this every day and brings positive energy. Whether he plays or not, he He always brings good energy to the team. He’s always rooting for the team and trying to help the team win, which is really big. He’s a veteran, almost 35 years old or something, so I think he knows exactly what his role is and when he gets a chance to play, he always likes to play like a hustle player.”
Kleber’s impact doesn’t really show up on the stat sheet, but he’s definitely left an impression on Redick and his teammates, so if he’s ultimately ruled out of the game against the Pelicans, he’ll likely miss Tuesday.
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