Chemistry, Athleticism Help Mavs Rise to 6th in West: 'Locker Room is Incredible'

The Dallas Mavericks climbed to No. 6 in the Western Conference standings after Thursday's blowout win over the Utah Jazz. Head coach Jason Kidd credits his team's newfound athleticism and growing chemistry for the recent success.

Feb 10, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates with Dallas / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

During his three years on the job, Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison hasn't been shy about making big changes to his roster. During his first season, the Mavs traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Washinton Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, which ignited a run to the Western Confercne Finals. During his second season, Dallas finally landed its co-star for Luka Doncic in Kyrie Irving, despite sacrificing key depth to do so. This season, though, Harrison might have done his best work yet, as the Mavs added two key starters in Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington at the trade deadline.

For Gafford specifically, the Mavs are now 9-1 when he starts. The latest win came on Thursday night as Dallas blew out the Utah Jazz 113-97 while putting up a franchise-record 18 dunks. Gafford had his best outing as a Maverick, finishing with 24 points on 10-11 shooting from the field to go with seven rebounds and five assissts in just 27 mintues. The fifth-year big man recently gave Wilt Chamberlain's all-time record of cosecutive made field goals a run for its money, and Mavs head coach Jason Kidd compared the two players once again after Thursday's win.

"Yeah, it was like one of those Wilt [Chamberlain] nights, 10-for-11," Kidd said of Gafford. "I'm trying to figure out which shot he missed. I don't know which one they credited him for a miss; that's tough at home. But I think again, that's what he brings. The quarterbacks love finding him. He has great hands, his ability to finish in traffic is something that we haven't had. I think he's back on that streak again in finishing. But just dominating the paint on both ends, I thought we did a really good job of rebounding the ball and not giving them second or third opportunities tonight."

Washington hasn't had the level of statistical success that Gafford has experienced early on, as he's shooting just 40 percent overall and 25 percent from deep in 18 games with the Mavs, but his ability to play lockdown defense on opponents' best players with his length and athleticism has allowed him to still have a positive impact as the starting power forward.

With their latest win, the Mavs moved into sixth-place in the Western Conferecne standings with 12 games remaining in the season. Kidd credits newfound athleticism and growing chemistry from the Mavs' recent roster moves for his team's momentum going into the final stretch of the season.

"When you look at just the past teams, we weren't super athletic. We weren't going to win the dunk contest in the warm-up line. I think now we can compete in the layup line. We can also do trick shots in the layup line; we don't have to use our hands; we can use our feet. But when you look at [Daniel] Gafford and D-Live (Dereck Lively II), even O-Max (Olivier-Maxence Prosper), we got athletic quick in the summer. At the trade deadline, we added Gaff (Daniel Gafford) and P.J. [Washington Jr.] and got even better," Kidd said.

"Understanding the character of the guys is great. That locker room is incredible, they all cheer for one another. You can see that at the end of the game when [Jaden] Hardy had the ball. He got it to A.J. [Lawson] and he's cheering for him to score. That's the chemistry and trust in building a team as the season goes on. We're athletic, yes, but also we're a team that enjoys playing with one another."

The Mavs, who have now won seven of their last eight games, will have an excellent chance to keep their positive going with a five-game road trip coming up. After getting three days off, Dallas will play at Utah on Monday, followed by two huge matchups against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday and Friday. If Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and company can take care of these next three games, they'll be looking more and more like a lock for a top-six seed in the West playoff picture.