The Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic in part to build what, on paper, looked to be perhaps the most imposing front court in the NBA. Anthony Davis is a 10-time All-Star pick, and in Dallas he looked primed to return to his preferred position of power forward with Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford in place to man the center position.
When Davis arrived, Lively was already out with a right ankle stress fracture. Despite that, the Mavericks were still plenty deep up front. But in his first game in Dallas, Davis suffered an adductor strain that is expected to keep him out for multiple weeks. The longest-tenured Maverick, reserve big man Dwight Powell, has been out for 14 games due to a hip injury.
And then in Monday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings, Gafford joined his front court partners on the injury list when he went down with a knee injury in the second quarter as he set a screen for Spencer Dinwiddie and collapsed on contact.
Gafford needed to be helped off the floor, and the Mavericks quickly ruled him out with a right knee sprain. Now, according to ESPN, Gafford will miss at least six weeks with a Grade 3 sprain of the MCL in his right knee. The team said Tuesday that Gafford would be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Gafford’s injury leaves the Mavericks in a dire position in the front court heading into the All-Star break. Now 30-26 after winning on Wednesday and Thursday, they are in eighth place the ultra-competitive Western Conference but only three games ahead of the 11th-place Phoenix Suns.
They no longer have Doncic around to carry the offense with multiple injured teammates, so they are going to have to lean heavily on Kyrie Irving and defense. In the two games following Gafford’s injury — wins over the Warriors and Heat — Dallas started 6-foot-7 Kessler Edwards at center.
Gafford is having a stellar season for Dallas. He is averaging a career-high 12.5 points per game while posting excellent rebounding and shot-blocking numbers across his 22.1 minutes per contest. He and Davis showed immediate chemistry in their first game together. Both have suffered injuries since, and now Dallas can only hope that they make it back before it’s too late.
