Dallas Mavericks' Maxi Kleber suffers torn hamstring, reportedly out 6-8 weeks
Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber tore his right hamstring during Tuesday's practice, the team announced.
"Treatment options are being considered," the Mavericks said Thursday morning in a three-sentence statement. "At this time, there is no timetable for Kleber's return and updates will be given when appropriate."
Kleber is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Kleber played 31 minutes in Monday's victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder, including the entire fourth quarter. He appeared as questionable on the injury report for Wednesday's game before being ruled out entirely for a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Mavericks next host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.
The 30-year-old German is averaging 6.2 points (49/37/79 shooting splits) and 3.5 rebounds in 25.6 minutes off the bench for the Mavericks this season. More importantly, the 6-foot-10 Kleber helps unlock the versatility that made Dallas so dangerous on its run to the Western Conference finals last season.
Lineups with Kleber at center are outscoring opponents by 6.6 points per 100 possessions this season, more effective than when JaVale McGree, Christian Wood or Dwight Powell is manning the middle.
The Mavericks are 1-5 without Kleber so far this season, troubling news for a team that is a disappointing 14-14 and ninth in the Western Conference through the season's first two months. If Kleber's injury keeps him out through the Feb. 9 trade deadline, that will make general manager Nico Harrison's job all the more difficult as he attempts to evaluate ways to upgrade the roster around superstar Luka Doncic.
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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
