Washington coach remembers ‘terrific year’ Gafford had with Wizards

The damage Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford did to Washington on Monday night was no surprise to Wizards interim head coach Brian Keefe.

Less than a week ago, Keefe was Gafford’s coach, and Gafford was overpowering opponents, snatching rebounds and blocking shots while manning the paint for the Wizards. But last Thursday the Mavs traded Richaun Holmes to the Wizards for Gafford, and now the five-year veteran is overpowering opponents, snatching rebounds and blocking shots for Dallas.

“He had a terrific year for us,” Keefe said. “We miss him. We’re happy that he’s a little closer to home to Arkansas.

“He was the anchor of our defense, (he) puts a lot of pressure on the rim rolling, lobs and that type of things.”

Gafford did “that type of things” for the Mavs during Monday’s gritty 112-104 triumph over the Wizards. He muscled his way around the basket and moved bodies around while scoring 16 points, pulling down 17 rebounds and blocking five shots in just 24 workmanlike minutes.

“It went good for the most part,” said Gafford, after converting 7-of-13 shots. “I really enjoyed seeing all the guys again, so at the end of the day we came out and handled business.

“It took us a minute, but we for sure got it done in the end game.”

Since he was in the same locker room with the Wizards less than a week ago, Gafford admitted it was kind of odd playing against his former teammates.

“It was something to adjust to just hearing most of the guys that I was in the same locker with for three years room talking crap to me,” he said.

And when the Wizards were calling out plays on the court, those plays were very familiar to Gafford.

“Just pretty much everything that they ran it was kind of like something that we had put in when I was there right when Keefe became the coach,” he said. “So, it was just like, ‘Ok, yeah, I know exactly what’s coming.’

“So, I was just pretty much just trying my best to kind of talk guys through it. I’m not really good at that yet, but I’ll get there.”

Monday was just Gafford’s second game with the Mavs, and coach Jason Kidd thought so highly of him that he inserted him into the starting lineup. The strategy worked right away as Gafford collected eight of his rebounds in the first quarter, and overall picked up seven of the 12 offensive rebounds the Mavs had for the entire game.

“The seven offensive rebounds and being able to give us second or third opportunities, I thought he was great tonight,” Kidd said. “I thought for Gafford and P.J. (Washington) to start without a practice just shows their versatility.

“They’re pros, and I thought they both played well.”

In 45 games for the Wizards this season, Gafford averaged 10.9 points, eight rebounds and 2.2 blocks and shot a robust 69 percent from the field. He was a force inside the paint for Washington, and the Mavs are hoping he’ll do the same for them.

Gafford’s growth, meanwhile, is what has impressed Keefe the most.

“He’s shown great improvement,” Keefe said. “I think that was a lot on him, but also a lot on our organization helping him the last couple of years grow into the player that he’s become.

“I really enjoyed coaching him as a person, but I’m happy for him.”

Gafford believes he’ll have the majority of the Mavs’ offensive and defensive schemes down in time for Wednesday’s home game against the San Antonio Spurs.

“It’s a lot of film that I need to watch still to just really kind of be fully locked in,” he said. “It’s my second game here, so I’m still just kind of processing everything and getting everything locked in.

“On the defensive side (the terminology is) about the same. On the offensive side pretty much everything changed.”

Offensively, when in doubt, Gafford said: “Really just get out the way, in all honestly. Let (Luka Dončić) do his thing and just be in the back end for a rebound or a lob.”

Gafford’s teammates have already told him about keeping his head on a swivel when Dončić has the ball, because passes could be headed his way when he’s least expected.

“A couple tonight are some of the ones that I could have caught,” Gafford said. “Like the lob that I missed and the one that I tipped off to Josh (Green) in the corner. But other than that, I’m adjusting pretty well and I’m trying to for sure just be ready.

“They tell me there’s a lot of crazy passes that’ll come. So at the end of the day I just got to have my antenna up.”

Kidd said he tried to pick Gafford’s brain leading up to the game against the Wizards. But the response was not what Kidd expected.

“He’s a quiet individual,” Kidd said. “I asked him today just to give us some insight on the Wizards. He was short and sweet.”

Still, Kidd knows Gafford — with his rebounding prowess and defensive tenacity — could be a monster in the middle for the Mavs. That was evident by the 19 points and nine rebounds Gafford collected in just 17 minutes during Saturday’s 146-111 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, which was his debut with the Mavs.

“We’ve always gone against him, and he’s always hurt us,” Kidd said. “For any shots the Wizards missed, he got all the offensive rebounds. And so, it’s nice to see that the other day that he does that to everybody, not just us.

“We’re really excited to have him as a starter or as someone who’s going to come off the bench to give us depth.”

Keefe believes Gafford will have a major impact with the Mavs going forward while “anchoring the defense, and obviously being a lob threat with Dončić and (Kyrie) Irving. I think he’ll be very helpful.

“He’s a terrific guy (and) family guy. He’s got a really bright personality. (He’s) kind to everybody. I think you guys will really enjoy him in this organization and in Dallas.”

GREEN FEELING COMFORTABLE: No one is happier that Josh Green’s game is rounding into shape than Kidd.

Over the last six games heading into Monday’s contest against Washington, Green was averaging 15.2 points and 4.5 rebounds while becoming a fixture in Kidd’s rotation.

“It’s great that Josh is playing at a high level,” Kidd coach. “Just understanding that he’s a young player. His career has just started.

“The work that he put in this (past) summer also with (the Australian) National team, you can see he’s comfortable.”

Kidd noted that Green’s health has played a big role in his efficiency this season. The four-year veteran has missed 13 games this season due to injuries.

“If you can stay healthy you’ll have a chance to be consistent with minutes and (you’ll) play,” Kidd said. “You’re going to make or miss shots, but I think the big thing is if Josh can stay healthy you can see that he’s getting better.

“He’s starting to feel comfortable bringing the ball up, which we’ve asked him to do. And he’s picking up full court, which we’ve asked him to do. And I think he’s really enjoying his role right now.”

For the 27.5 minutes he’s averaged this season, Green is averaging nine points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 48.4 percent from the field, including

40.6 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

BRIEFLY: Mavs rookie center Dereck Lively II is no longer a teenager. Lively turned the ripe old age of 20 on Monday. And during a timeout in the first half of the game against Washington, the American Airlines Center crowd sang Happy Birthday to him. Coach Jason Kidd was asked if ever got serenaded with a Happy Birthday song when he played for the Mavs. “The ’94 Reunion (Arena), one, I don’t know if, one probably there wasn’t a lot of people there. Two, we probably were on the road. That was pretty cool for D-Live. Our next step is to get him on the court so they can cheer him on the court.” Lively is still on the injury list after undergoing a procedure on Feb. 5 to repair his broken nose. Also, forward Dante Exum, who has right knee soreness, missed his ninth straight game.

X: @DwainPrice