The Los Angeles Lakers are staring at trouble hours before opening night. They will already be without LeBron James, who is suffering from sciatica, which will see him sidelined for a few weeks. That already forced JJ Redick to rely on the depth the Lakers acquired in the offseason. However, there’s another unfortunate update, this time to a star who has just appeared in a single official game.

Maxi Kleber arrived at the Lakers last season, as part of the blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic. The floor spacing center only played in Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He spent the rest of the time recovering from a foot surgery. And now, according to Michael Scotto, he has an oblique injury.

“Los Angeles Lakers forward Maxi Kleber will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks with an oblique strain,” he wrote on X.

Kleber wasn’t expected to play a vital role for the Lakers. With Deandre Ayton’s arrival, Redick has a center rotation with Jaxson Hayes as the backup. But with James’ absence, the 33-year-old’s three-point threat and defensive stability could have helped manage other injuries. But for Maxi Kleber, the injury bug has been something he has consistently dealt with. The veteran center has never appeared in over 60 games over the past five seasons.

Although an issue, the Lakers won’t be stressing. Jared Vanderbilt is back healthy. Since becoming the coach, JJ Redick has been a huge admirer of the defensive-minded forward. He, along with Marcus Smart, could log greater minutes to make up for Kleber’s unavailability. It also gives Dalton Knecht a chance to cement a place in the rotation after a quiet preseason.

Luckily, the Warriors aren’t a team with great size. But against teams like the Rockets, having a player like Maxi Kleber could be imperative. So far, though, there’s not much to worry about in this case. The same can’t be said for their superstar, LeBron James.