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How Maxi Kleber’s defensive versatility played a big role in Mavs’ win over Raptors

Not a bad night for the second-most famous NBA player to hail from Wurzburg.

Somewhere in Wurzburg, Germany, there’s a youth-level basketball trainer who had extra reason to feel proud if he kept track of the Mavericks’ victory over Toronto on Saturday night (Sunday morning in Germany).

No, this isn’t about Germany’s most famous hoop mentor, Holger Geschwindner, nor his protégé, Dirk Nowitzki.

This is about whichever fellow had the foresight to introduce lateral movement drills to a sprouting, slow-of-foot teenager named Maximilian Kleber, who’s now the second-most famous NBA player to hail from Wurzburg.

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“It really helps me now to move my feet quickly,” Kleber explained of the drills that he did from roughly the ages of 14 to 18, work that paid off Saturday night, when Kleber helped hold Toronto standout Pascal Siakam to 6-of-24 shooting.

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Kleber, 6-10, is the extremely rare big man with the ability to guard quicker bigs like 6-9 Siakam on the perimeter, but also be a rim-protector.

After starting and playing a team-high 38:20 Saturday night, Kleber explained that his key to playing solid perimeter defense is maintaining enough space between the offensive player to cut off drives, but also stay close enough to contest jump shots.

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“That was the biggest transition for me coming from Europe,” Kleber said. “Because guys here are way faster and way more talented, so you’ve got to find the right distance.”

Cameroon native Siakam, who played high school basketball at God’s Academy in Lewisville, had averaged 28.6 points in his last five games. He scored 15 points in 41 minutes Saturday.

“He (Kleber) was great for us,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “Maxi’s versatility on defense is a big, big factor for us.”

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Kleber’s previous season high for minutes was 33:21, in the season’s second game, at New Orleans.

“That’s why I just (spent) 10 minutes in the ice bath,” Kleber said after the game.