The Dallas Mavericks aren’t seen as top dogs in the West with the playoffs looming. One stat involving Luka Doncic potentially paints the Mavs as stealth contenders.
The Mavs have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the past few weeks. Dallas is in the midst of a five-game winning streak and have gone 9-1 over the last 10 games. The recent success has the Mavericks soaring up their conference standings.
Could the Mavericks be more dangerous than many are giving the team credit for?
The Dallas Mavericks Are Undefeated When Luka Doncic Has Started With 1 Specific Player
The Mavs’ recent run of success obviously has Doncic’s fingerprints all over it. But one player appears to have been the perfect frontcourt partner to pair with the Slovenian wunderkind.
Dallas has yet to lose a single game when Doncic starts alongside trade deadline acquisition Daniel Gafford.
Daniel Gafford is 11-0 as a starter with Luka Dončić 🤯#MFFL pic.twitter.com/y5WiwGQ64W
— MFFL (@Mavs_FFL) March 27, 2024
The Mavericks last month traded away some of their draft capital in order to nab Gafford from the Washington Wizards. The team appears to have gotten a decent return on investment so far for what they gave up.
In 20 games player with the Mavs so far, Gafford has posted averages of 11.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks on an absurdly efficient 77.3% from the field. Gafford even threatened a Wilt Chamberlain record for a brief period due to how proficient at making sure his shots go in.
Taking A Closer Look At Daniel Gafford As A Dallas Mavericks Starter
Gafford has largely benefited from playing next to Luka Doncic, who is as effective as anyone in the league at feeding his big men around the rim.
The Mavericks tested Gafford out as a starter during his second and third contests with the team. Dallas won both games by a combined 31 points. Of course, those games were against the Wizards and the San Antonio Spurs, but Gafford was largely affective in those contests.
Against his former team, Gafford posted 16 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 blocks in what felt like a revenge game of sorts. He followed that up with a 10-point, 10-rebound effort in the win over the Spurs.
Before the Mavs’ recent 9-1 stretch, Dallas had lost five of their last six games. The struggles seem to be what prompted head coach Jason Kidd to shake things up, benching rookie Dereck Lively II in favor of Gafford.
In 12 games as a starter, Gafford’s numbers have shot up to 14.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks on about 80% (!!!) shooting from the field.