'25 Playoff Rotation Predictions: A Collaborative Deep Dive

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

We have the same conversation about Kleber every year.

Yes, he's injury prone. Yes, he goes through maddening stretches where his shot is unreliable and/or he's afraid to even shoot, which sucks, because that's a large part of his utility. I think that has to do with his balance since whatever they had to do to fix that major toe injury he had, but regardless, it's frustrating. And, since I started this thread he's had two pretty rough games, for sure.

But, he's undeniably still one of the better small 5/big 4 defenders in the NBA when he's moving well, and he's actually started this season moving better than he did at any point last season. I personally don't think now is the time to give up on him, and that his shot/confidence will come back as he knocks off all the rust he accumulated last year. But, I understand how much patience is required with him and don't blame some for want of it.

*When is the key word.  I'd predict him at 800 minutes this year, with a lot of those minutes being hobbled coming back from injury.  This our biggest hole.