Daniel Gafford has been on a roller coaster ride with the Dallas Mavericks over the past year. He was rumored to be on the trading block in February, then rumored again to being shopped in the offseason. Yet, on the cusp of the 2026-2027 NBA season, Gafford remains part of the roster and in the continued absence of Dereck Lively, figures to play a key role for the team going forward.
Gafford has used his size and athleticism to become an elite rim runner and finisher down low. In 2024, he connected on a ridiculous 33-straight made field goals, falling only two shy of tying Wilt Chamberlain’s record which was set in 1967. Many of those finishes resulted from the phenomenal passing of Luka Doncic, however Gafford has shot a staggering 70.2% from the floor during his career, proving he is capable of finishing with or without Doncic distributing.
For all the shots he has attempted during his seven years in the NBA, not a single one was from beyond the arc. That may be about to change. Over the weekend, head coach Dusty May shared some of what he envisions for Gafford going forward.
“We’re just trying to add a little more to his game as far as being a playmaking decision maker on the perimeter… He’s going to shoot a few rhythm threes”
A half-minute of commentary says quite a lot about both May’s way of thinking and what we can expect Gafford’s role to be going forward. May states that they “started studying him” over the summer, suggesting a measured approach to talent evaluation on behalf of the new coaching staff. May and his assistants took a look at what worked for Gafford as well as where he could do more.
What he found was what long-time Maverick fans have observed. The primary criticism of Gafford is that he is somewhat one-dimensional. He is not a particularly efficient passer and his role on offense mainly exists within six feet of the basket. Before he was injured, Lively was developing a more versatile offensive role for himself, distributing from the high post. It now appears Gafford will be tasked with not only the same, but also serving as a “connector” on the perimeter as well. One can only imagine what May’s offensive schemes will look like with the Mavericks, but Gafford drifting out to the perimeter to help facilitate suggests a much more versatile offense with an abundance of ball movement through all positions.
Most intriguing about what May said is that he expects Gafford to put up some rhythm three-point shots as well. For a player who has literally never attempted a game-time shot from beyond the arc, this is a major paradigm shift. None of us should expect Gafford to put up two or more three-point attempts each night, but the fact he will attempt any is intriguing. If Gafford can be even a marginal stretch big, it could change the entire complexion of the Mavs’ offense, opening up the paint for drives from the likes of Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall. When pressed, May affirmed the fact that Gafford will get his chances with the longball, and even shared that Gafford knocked down his only attempt from deep during live play earlier that day.
If Gafford can even knock down 30%-plus of his limited three point attempts, it’s going to help the Mavs offense be much less predictable and should open up opportunities for both Gafford and his teammates alike.
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