Daniel Gafford has long been one of the most consistent players on the Dallas Mavericks, and he has flown under the radar this season in large part thanks to injury.
The present may be bleak for the Dallas Mavericks, but it's hard to imagine them in a better spot for the future.
Cooper Flagg is a foundational piece, and the Mavericks should be able to land a top prospect in the 2026 NBA Draft. On top of that, players like Ryan Nembhard, Naji Marshall, Max Christie, and PJ Washington are high-level role players.
Add in the return next season of both Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II, and the Mavericks should be able to return to postseason contention as soon as next season.
Often overlooked is center Daniel Gafford. He was stellar alongside Luka Doncic, butr inmuires ands a deeper frontcourt rotation has held him back this season. Often included in mock trades, he's been quietly cementing his status as a building block for the team.
Dallas Mavericks Praise Center Daniel Gafford
Ankle injuries have kept Gafford sidelined for much of the year, and he started the season behind both Anthony Davis and Lively II in the depth chart. However, over the last ten games, he's been his usual self, averaging 14.2 points on 71.4% shooting to go with 3.6 offensive rebounds per game.
Jason Kidd thinks Gafford is doing a great job of being active and asserting himself.
"I think guys being able to find him, he's making free throws, offensive opportunities off the miss," said the head coach. "He's been really good at that for us. But I think just in the pick and roll, being able to find him, and he's doing the hard part, and that's finishing."
Gafford echoed what Kidd said and thinks his ability to create second-chance points off an abundance of Dallas misses shouldn't be overlooked.
"Just playing aggressively, that's the main thing," Gafford added. "One thing for sure to talk about with the game is offensive rebounding...My main goal was just going out and just playing as hard as I could, especially on the offensive rebounding at the end of the day."
While Gafford looks like his usual, consistent self, he doesn't quite feel his best, as injuries continue to linger.
"It's getting there," he explained. "I still feel the ankle every now and then when it comes to just playing how I've been playing, but honestly, I'm just trying to play as much as I can. Injuries might happen, but I just really can't just let them hold me back."
With a healthy Gafford in the paint, the Mavericks boast one of the best paint scorers in the league, and moving forward should use him as another weapon around Flagg and the young core.