Wisconsin Knows it has a Defensive Leader in Max Klesmit
MADISON, Wis. – Max Klesmit doesn’t remember exactly when he peeked at Minnesota’s Jamison Battle, a glimpse likely during warmups or prior to tip-off, but the University of Wisconsin junior remembers giving up roughly four inches and 20 pounds to him. It’s just another day at the office for him.
In Wisconsin’s 63-60 win over Minnesota on January 3, Klesmit held Battle to 5-for-15 shooting, ran him off screens, forced tight catches, and gave the junior forward plenty of contested looks.
“That's how he is,” Badgers coach Greg Gard said. “That was yesterday in practice. We're doing defensive things, he's taking charges. That's what we missed with him out and it's good to have him back.”
Klesmit is the only starter averaging under 10 points per game, but the role that junior fits with Wisconsin are more about keeping points off the board. His presence could be seen when he missed Wisconsin’s road losses to Northwestern and Maryland last month.
Unable to play after taking an elbow to the mouth against Penn State (and getting a row of stitches in his upper lip), Klesmit remained in Madison and watched Wildcats guards Boo Buie and Chase Audige score a combined 36 points in a three-point win and Maryland have an offensive efficiency of 129.6 points per 100 possessions, a season-worst for Wisconsin, two days later.
Since returning, Klesmit held Illinois’ Terrance Shannon Jr. to six points and Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh to 13. Sensabaugh entered the game averaging 17.7 points on over 50 percent shooting and is considered the Buckeyes’ next NBA Draft pick.
“It’s trying to make guys uncomfortable the first few possessions of the game,” Klesmit said. “Whether that’s running them off the line and being super attached or being more physical with them, driving them off their dominant hand. I want to make the first shot he sees tough so the next one is maybe a little tougher for him.”
Klesmit will get a chance to make up for lost time when Wisconsin (13-8, 5-6 Big Ten) hosts Audige, Buie, and Northwestern (15-7, 6-5) at the Kohl Center tomorrow (5:30 p.m./BTN). The Badgers’ next four games are against teams they are either ahead of in the standings or within one game of, a critical stretch that can either enhance or further fray their NCAA Tournament profile.
Without Klesmit on the floor, Audige and Buie each attempted 15 shots and were a combined 10-for-21 on two-point shots.
“I’m not a guy that needs to do something I want to do,” Klesmit said. “Whatever Coach Gard, the coaching staff, my team is going to ask of me, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to fulfill that role to the best of my ability. Whether that’s drawing a veteran assignment or playing better help defense for a guy one night or doing my best on the offensive side, it’s about expanding in that role and continuing to get better.”
The defensive-first mindset is a change for Klesmit after two seasons at Wofford, a Southern Conference school that had finished in the top 100 of KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency ratings once since 2016. Wisconsin had one team outside the top 50 during that same stretch with an average finish of 23rd. Wofford’s average placement is 187th.
Klesmit was the team’s second-leading scorer last season at 14.9 points per game, helping him earn third-team all-conference honors. While the ability to stretch the floor offensively appealed to the Badgers as they searched the portal for veterans to help fill the departures of guards Brad Davison and Johnny Davis, UW was impressed with Klesmit’s tenacity on the defensive end.
“He had the tools,” assistant coach Sharif Chambliss said, noting Klesmit averaged 1.6 steals his sophomore season. “Mentally, his compacity and competitiveness is definitely going to be a huge factor in him being able to do what he needs to do defensively for us. We usually put him on the best guard out there. Every night is going to be a fight, and we got a guy in Max that is going to give us all out there. He’s going to be super physical, super competitive about it, and be ready to play.”
With Wisconsin’s offense languishing, Klesmit has hunted his shot more frequently. Attempting a total of 57 shots in UW’s first 12 games, Klesmit has attempted 53 in his last six full games. He scored 12 points on 3 of 6 three-point shooting against Illinois and was 4 of 9 for 12 points in Thursday’s win at Ohio State, marking his first back-to-back double-digit games this season.
But it’s his motor that stands out. In the first 4 minutes, 20 seconds of UW’s game against Illinois, Klesmit had three points, two rebounds, drew a charge, and dove on the court for a loose ball.
“He’s a winner,” Chambliss said. “His competitive drive is as deep as anybody's. When it matches a guy like Tyler and he’s been spoken in the same sentence as Tyler Wahl, oh man, you’re doing the right thing.”
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