Lakers face historic disaster without this ‘steel wall’ in the new season

Perhaps there’s an alternate timeline along which the Los Angeles Lakers went through with the Mark Williams trade and the 2025 NBA Playoffs turned out differently. Williams, for all of the injury concerns that would’ve arrived with him, is a walking double-double with profound potential.

The harsh reality, however, is that the Lakers’ trade for Williams was rescinded—and the purple and gold were thus forced to operate in a Jaxson Hayes or bust capacity at center.

Thankfully, Los Angeles has acted to avoid a similar fate in 2025-26. It signed Deandre Ayton to a two-year contract that aspires to tap into the remaining potential of the former No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The harsh reality facing the Lakers, however, is that Ayton has an extensive injury history of its own—thus suggesting that Hayes could be overburdened once again this coming season.

Ayton has missed at least 24 games in three of the past four seasons, as well as four of the past six. That seemingly implies that Los Angeles must be prepared to play relatively extensive stretches without him in the rotation.

Thankfully, the Lakers have an X-Factor waiting in the wings who could potentially resolve this issue before it hurts them: Maxi Kleber.

Lakers need a healthy Maxi Kleber in 2025-26

In many respects, Kleber was a throw-in who helped coordinate the logistics of the trade that resulted in Luka Doncic arriving in Los Angeles. His expiring contract is now viewed by many as the greatest value he provides, as his $11 million salary could be an asset in potential trade talks.

With Ayton and Hayes both having a history of injuries, however, the Lakers may come to rely on Kleber in ways that some might not have expected them to.

Kleber is an eight-year veteran who has spent the past seven seasons playing alongside Doncic. Though never the most productive player, he’s carved out a lengthy career by operating as a floor-spacing big with a history of defensive versatility.

Unfortunately, Kleber is coming off of the worst season of his NBA career, during which he shot 38.5 percent from the field and 26.5 percent from beyond the arc.

To make matters worse, Kleber has missed at least 39 games in each of the past three seasons—and has been absent from 22 or more in five straight years. The upside in Los Angeles, however, is that he isn’t being asked to provide nightly contributions.

Instead, the Lakers need Kleber to be available to step in and provide value in the event that Ayton or Hayes are absent—meaning anything provided above that standard would be a welcome surprise.

It’s worth noting that Kleber shot 43.6 percent from beyond the arc during Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks’ run to the 2022 Western Conference Finals and 42.9 percent en route to the 2024 NBA Finals. That postseason experience and floor-spacing ability should be music to Los Angeles’ ears.

At this stage of his career, however, the Lakers simply need Kleber to step up and prevent potential injuries from derailing their momentum as they did in 2024-25.