Badgers film room: What does Wisconsin have in Max Klesmit?
Greg Gard and company entered the offseason in desperate need of immediate production out on the wing following Johnny Davis’ early departure to the NBA, Lorne Bowman transferring, and Brad Davison exhausting his eligibility.
That need became slightly less glaring after UW got a commitment from Wofford shooting guard Max Klesmit, who decided he would return home and play for the Badgers next season.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound shooting guard started 31 games for the Terriers last season and averaged 14.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game as a sophomore en route to being named a third-team All-Southern Conference performer.
“We’re happy to be able to add someone like Max, both as a player and person to represent our program,” Gard said in a UW press release. “A native of the state, we know that Max is excited to be able to return home and will take pride in wearing the Wisconsin jersey. With two seasons of college basketball under his belt, Max also adds experience and a specific skillset to our roster. We’re looking forward to Max joining our Badger Family and we can’t wait to get to work with him and help him chase his goals here at Wisconsin.”
Klesmit comes to Wisconsin with two years of eligibility remaining; three should he exercise his extra COVID year – something he hinted he intends to do in an interview with Jeff Potrykus.
What Klesmit brings to Wisconsin:
A native of Neenah, Wisconsin, Klesmit brings two years' worth of experience at the collegiate level and is a player who has matured a great deal physically since he played for the Rockets.
Wofford ran a four-out, up-tempo offensive system – with spacing and principles that closely mirror some of the things that Wisconsin likes to do - albeit at a far different speed. So, the system change shouldn't be foreign to him when he arrives on campus.
Klesmit's fit with UW and its current core players (Hepburn, Wahl, Crowl) couldn't be more ideal. His offensive skill-set perfectly complements the strengths of the returning personnel - adding another floor spacing scorer out on the wing (68 made three last season).
After sitting down to watch Klesmit’s available film, these are my takeaways on what he’ll bring to UW:
Offensively, Klesmit is known as a three-point shooter, which is accurate. However, what stood out on film was his ability to get his shot off in a deluge of ways.
First, he can comfortably pull up and knock three’s down in transition – which we saw UW do a lot more of last season.
Klesmit’s the kind of player who knows his role, sets good screens, and moves well without the ball - consistently drawing his defender away from the basket – which opens up driving lanes for his teammates.
The third-year guard is someone you can run off screens or pin downs and excel in catch-and-shoot situations – a role that Davison filled last season.
Klesmit isn’t what I’d call a slasher, but he does offer something as a secondary playmaker out on the wing. He can put the ball on the deck and attack driving lanes to get to the basket.
What he lacks in strength, he makes up for it with impressive body control. It’s also worth noting that Klesmit does an excellent job using head fakes/hesitations.