“Maxi is a pro,” Coach JJ Redick said before Tuesday’s game. “He’s just a terrific teammate and a hard worker. I feel bad for him. He bemoaned to me [on Monday] that he’s like ‘I do everything right. I take care of myself, I get my sleep, I put the right things in my body. I work out, I train.’ And he’s just been bit a little bit by the injury bug here the last two seasons.
“So I really feel for him. I’m thankful this is a short-term thing, but I know that he’ll be in a position in a few weeks to help this basketball team.”
Kleber, 33, was sidelined for most of the preseason because of a “minor” quadriceps injury that he sustained during the Lakers’ first practice of training camp on Sept. 30. The 6-foot-10 German big man, who the Lakers acquired as part of the trade for Luka Doncic last February, was sidelined for three months to close out last season because of a fractured right foot.
He made his preseason debut in Friday’s exhibition finale against the Sacramento Kings. Kleber scored three points, grabbed three rebounds and committed four fouls in 10 minutes off the bench against the Kings.
Kleber’s absence means the Lakers will start the regular season with Jaxson Hayes and two-way center Christian Koloko as the backups behind starting center Deandre Ayton.
KNECHT’S OPTION
The Lakers will exercise the 2026-27 team option on second-year forward Dalton Knecht’s rookie-scale contract, a source confirmed to the Southern California News Group on Tuesday.
The deadline for the decision was Oct. 31.
Knecht, who the Lakers selected with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, will have a $4.2 million salary for next season.
He averaged 9.1 points (46.1% shooting from the field, 37.6% from 3-point range) and 2.8 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game (78 appearances – 16 games started) as a rookie.
IN ATTENDANCE
During the first quarter of the season opener, the Crypto.com Arena video board showed Lakers controlling owner Jeanie Buss sitting next to Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter, who is buying the majority ownership of the Lakers from the Buss family in a deal that was agreed to over the summer.
The sale hasn’t been made official yet, but it is expected to close before the end of the calendar year.
Vanessa and Natalia Bryant, the widow and oldest daughter of late Lakers icon Kobe Bryant, were also in attendance for Tuesday’s game.
Natalia, who graduated from USC in May, was the creative director for a short film released earlier in the month that details what it feels like to be part of Lakers culture.
