There was a time when the average fan insisted that the Dallas Mavericks went years without a productive center they could
consistently count on.
Now they have two.
Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford have combined to form arguably the most dynamic one-two punch in the middle in Mavs’ franchise history. Together, they have made sure that the Mavs will be an effective force in the middle of the lineup.
“No matter who starts, no matter who sits first, we know that whenever one person comes out, the other person picks things up,” Lively told Mavs.com. “It’s being confident in no matter who’s having a good game or a bad game, it’s just going out there and doing our job.”
As a rookie first-round draft pick out of Duke, Lively did his job so well that he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team last season after he averaged 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 23.5 minutes. Meanwhile, in the 29 games he played for the Mavs after they acquired him in a Feb. 8 trade with Washington, Gafford averaged 11.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 21.5 minutes.
But despite the duo’s overwhelming success last season, Gafford is striving for more this season as the Mavs head into Thursday’s preseason finale at American Airlines Center against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I’m really just working to take the next step – the physicality side of the game,” the 26-year old Gafford said. “I want to be a lot more physical, and I want to be a lot more vocal on the defensive side, of course.
“I want to average double-digit rebounds, and I’m just trying to push myself continuously on a day-to-day basis to really make that stride to become that player that I want to be. And it really doesn’t take anything but a lot of consistency and a lot of self-accountability when it comes to me, so sooner or later it’s going to happen for me. I just know it.”
Gafford also knows that Lively, 20, is just touching the surface of what he can eventually accomplish in the NBA.
“I know he’s something that I’m pretty sure the Mavs’ fans cherish when it comes to somebody like Dereck Lively,” Gafford said. “He comes in, he’s got a lot of energy day-in and day-out, and he’s a young kid.
“He’s got, not necessarily a lot of room for improvement, but the sky’s the limit for him. If he just stays in the right mindset, if he keeps his mind focused — being
successful and taking that step in the right path to success — the sky’s the limit for the young kid. I’m happy for him.”
Lively acknowledged that the key for him to avoid the proverbial sophomore jinx is to not get complacent and don’t rest on his laurels.
“Just go out there and realize my mistakes, realize my weaknesses, correct them and try to improve in the areas that I’ve been trying to improve on,” he said. “No matter if that’s down low in the post, short corner, trail threes, or even my free throws. Just overall try to get better each game.”
While Lively (7-1, 234) may not have a lot of shortcomings, the 12th overall pick of last year’s draft knows he’s nowhere close to being a finished product.
“I want to shoot better from the free throw line, be more consistent when it comes to taking care of the ball, and make plays for my teammates,” Lively said. “We’re going to have a couple of different players on the team, so I just need to be out there and figure out what everybody’s shot and everybody’s rhythm and make sure I set up my teammates.”
Gafford (6-10, 234) is in his first training camp with the Mavs, so he’ll have ample time to getting used to setting up his teammates.
“It’s just getting used to that intensity and the atmosphere all over again,” said Gafford, who is entering his sixth NBA season. “Although I’ve been to a decent amount of training camps so far, in all honesty this might have been my best one throughout my years in it because I feel like I’ve had a better approach to it and I 
feel like I’ve had the right mindset going into the training camp.
“The guys are trying to make each other better, and (Lively and I are) trying to be this one-two punch — no matter who comes off the bench and no matter who starts. We’re trying to find some type of way to make an impact while we’re on the floor, and that’s exactly what we did throughout training camp. We made each other better, we worked each other and we went at each other day-in and day-out throughout training camp.”
Coach Jason Kidd likes to run Lively and Gafford in six-minute stretches so they won’t wear themselves out.
“It’s something that we’ve leaned on,” Kidd said. “Those two have been playing and have had a great camp. We need them to continue to do that and be the anchor of our defense.”
As he and Gafford continue to control the painted area of the court, Lively has one welcoming message to the Mavs’ fans who saw their favorite team reach last season’s NBA Finals.
“We’re here for a chip,” Lively said. “It’s a long season. There’s a lot of things going on, and there’s a lot of games.
“But we know what we’re here for, and we know what we’re trying to get.”
X: @DwainPrice
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