Maxi Kleber did himself a great disservice when he scored 21 points in a game his rookie year. That game forever colored my perception of him and his scoring abilities. After that game, I always thought of him, and continue to this day to think of him, as a guy who is always a threat to go off and drop twenty. Given that he has only scored twenty once in his career, that’s obviously a very stupid notion to continue to cling to, but cling to it I do.
The result of my misguided view of Kleber’s bucket-getting proficiency is that I will occasionally not make a highlight video for him even when the situation calls for it. His second-best game as a pro is eighteen points, so if he scores fifteen, that should probably qualify for a video. Unfortunately for all Mavericks fans and all German citizens, I don’t quite see it that way. And even though I’m talking out my rationale right in front of you, I’m probably not going to adjust my thinking to reflect this newly-revealed reality. Acknowledging Kleber’s true status as a marginal scorer would increase my workload, and we can’t have that.
Besides, maybe I’m right. Maybe Kleber is a secret scoring god being held down by unknown forces (coughrickcarlislecoughlukadonciccough). And when his scoring godliness is finally revealed, I will look like some kind of scouting genius who can peer through the incomprehensible haze of the NBA to find hidden gems.