LeBron James and the Lakers are Game 5 home on Wednesday night. They are eliminated 3-1 in this opening round series vs. Minnesota.
Los Angeles took a 10-point lead and began the fourth quarter on Sunday, but lost 116-113 to the Timberwolves. Head coach JJ Redick played the same five players in all 24 minutes of the second half. These players were gased by the end of the game, and Redick was criticized for having zero replacements. On Wednesday, the Lakers upgraded their forward Maxi Clever (foot) to something suspicious. Can Redick use him as a depth piece from the bench?
Will Maxi Clever watch Los Angeles play time on Wednesday?
The Lakers upgraded Maxi Clever to the questionable one for Game 5 against the Timberwolves
Secret weapon? 🙈 pic.twitter.com/br8zaymkbq
– Legionhoops (@legionhoops) April 30, 2025
Throughout the Lakers’ first four playoff games, they used the same starting five. Luka Donsic, LeBron James, Austin Raves, Louis Hachimura and Jackson Hayes. However, JJ Redick told the media that the starting lineup for Game 5 remains “to be decided.” The strange guy is Jackson Hayes. His inability to pass the floor to space is a big problem for Los Angeles when they are attacking.
Despite starting their first four games, Hayes averages 7.8 minutes per contest. JJ Redick uses only selected players from the bench. The Lakers sometimes had a small lineup because they had five players who could shoot in court. Dorian Finney-Smith has been playing 35.0 minutes from the bench of this series. On Wednesday, the Lakers were able to debut a deep work for Los Angeles.
Maxi Clever came to Los Angeles as part of the Luka Donsic trade. He has recovered from foot surgery and missed 42 consecutive games. Clever played last on January 25th. We’ll see what JJ Reddick will do tonight as the Lakers face elimination. Maxi clever came in and was able to play for about 10 minutes to give the starters a rest. He is a capable three-point shooter who can rebound the floor and put out space for the Lakers. This is exactly what this series requires. Does Maxi Kleber look at the playing time in Game 5?