Dereck Lively II’s lingering foot recovery has already simplified one of the Mavericks’ biggest early-season questions: who opens the year at center.
Lively still is not practicing, and with Dallas set to tip off its season in exactly two weeks, his availability for the opener against the Houston Rockets is very much in doubt. The Mavericks are moving carefully with him, choosing not to rush him back after foot surgery in December. The priority is clear: Lively is only coming back when he is fully healthy and at low risk of dealing with another injury to his right foot.
That leaves Dusty May with a much cleaner decision if Lively is not ready by October 21. Instead of choosing between Lively and Daniel Gafford, May can simply go with the player who already has the strongest case to start: Gafford.
Gafford was Dallas’ starting center during the run to the 2024 NBA Finals, and he has already shown he can handle that role. There is also a bigger offensive layer to what he could bring this season.
May has talked about Gafford taking threes within the flow of the offense, something he has never done before. If that becomes part of his game, it changes the way defenses have to treat Dallas’ starting five.
Instead of sitting in the paint, the opposing defense would have to respect a center who can stretch the floor.
That would be a notable shift for a player whose offensive game has been almost entirely built around finishing at the rim over the first seven years of his career.
When Lively is healthy, Dallas has a real one-two punch at center. Together, he and Gafford can give the Mavericks 48 minutes of quality play at the five. But right now, Lively is still working back from surgery, and his status for the opener looks extremely unlikely.
So the answer is straightforward. If Lively isn’t ready, Gafford should start.
He has the track record, the experience, and the clearest fit. Morez Johnson Jr. may have a case as a rookie, and Moussa Cisse had a productive rookie year, but neither has proven he can thrive as an NBA starter the way Gafford already has.
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Mavericks Need More From Naji Marshall In One Crucial Area
Naji Marshall came to Dallas with a reputation as a useful two-way wing, someone who could give the Mavericks sturdy perimeter defense and enough offensive pop to keep the floor spaced. Since arriving, though, the shooting has not traveled with him in the same way it did in New Orleans, and the team is still waiting for that part of his game to settle in alongside the rest of his role.
Marshall has still shown value as a defender, including at least one steal per game in each of the last two seasons, but Dallas wants more consistency on both ends as it heads into the new year. With Kyrie Irving set to return to the lineup, the Mavericks need Marshall to be cleaner and more reliable as a spacer and to bring the kind of effort that helps hold up the wing rotation over the course of a long season. [Read more 🡒]
Dereck Lively II Just Became A Bigger Long-Term Mavs Question
Dereck Lively II has become one of the more interesting long-term decisions on the Mavericks docket, with the team facing an October 19 deadline to work out a rookie-scale extension. For now, the expectation is that Dallas will keep its powder dry and take a longer look, especially with Lively still working back from foot surgery and not yet ready to return to practice.
That creates an awkward but understandable pause for a player the Mavericks still view as part of their future, but one whose health and role need more clarity before any multiyear commitment. Recent reporting has also pointed to other players from the 2023 draft class being more likely to land extensions first, which only sharpens the question hanging over Lively as Dallas weighs recovery, fit and timing. [Read more 🡒]
Kyrie Irvings Long-Awaited Return Just Changed These Mavericks Games
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Macao adds another layer to a return that was already going to draw attention, with the games staged at the Venetian Arena. Irvings comeback will be watched closely not just by Mavericks fans but by anyone tracking how the teams offense looks with him back in action, and the setting gives Dallas an early chance to test its new balance in a high-profile international spot. [Read more 🡒]