One of the biggest, if not the biggest, goals for teams during training camp and the preseason is to avoid injury. The Los Angeles Lakers already had LeBron James sitting out practice on Tuesday with nerve irritation in his glute and Marcus Smart out with Achilles tendinopathy when big man Maxi Kleber tweaked his quad.
It was hoped that Kleber’s injury wouldn’t be too serious. He was set to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury, and according to coach JJ Redick, he will be out for a few days and the team will be cautious with him.
In the past, Kleber, who is 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds, has been a solid defender and 3-point shooter who can play both the 4 and 5 positions. But last season, he shot just 38.5% from the field and 26.5% from 3-point range. He has career marks of 44.3% overall and 35.4% from downtown.
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The German native injured his foot in January and underwent surgery. He was sent to the Lakers in the same deal that brought them Luka Doncic, and he didn’t play again until they were knocked out of the playoffs in Game 5 of the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Los Angeles will begin its exhibition season on Oct. 3 versus the Phoenix Suns and will also play the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 5. After that, it will be off until Oct. 12, when it plays the Warriors again.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers coach JJ Redick gives injury update on big man Maxi Kleber