Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively II & Daniel Gafford Thriving Together for Mavs: ‘Playing Chess’

The Dallas Mavericks’ big-man duo of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford is thriving alongside superstar Luka Doncic.

The Dallas Mavericks’ new big-man duo of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II has been a breath of fresh air for a franchise that has long suffered from not having adequate frontcourt depth.

Gafford, in 14 games played for the Mavs since the trade deadline, is averaging  10.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while shooting 78 percent from the field. In 47 games as a rookie, Lively is averaging 9.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 75.1 percent from the field.

From previous experiences as a member of the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, Gafford knows just how hard it is to play against Luka Doncic, and the fifth-year big man is glad he’s on the other side of that and benefiting from the five-time All-Star these days.

"Just pray at the end of the day," Gafford said of teams trying to stop Doncic. "It's pretty much how it was every time that I played against him. Now playing with him, it's just like, man, I see why it was so hard to stop this [with] most of the stuff that we tried to throw at him on a night-to-night basis. So it's always good to just be on the other side of that too."

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The chemistry between Doncic, Gafford and Lively already appears to be high, so one can only imagine what the trio might look like over the next three seasons after this one ends.

"I feel like when we get in the flow of the game, we start reading each other,” Lively said. “We know where Luka needs us. We know whenever Luka has two or three on him, just find open spaces, he's going to get you the ball. That just comes down to our trust and chemistry.”

One element of Lively’s game that has made him so valuable to the Mavs this season has been his ability to run the floor in transition opportunities, giving Doncic a chance to play quarterback and throw outlet passes over the defense for easy buckets.

"It's my role, just being able to know that my teammates know as soon as the rebound comes off and we get it, I'm taking off," Lively said. "Or if it's a turnover and we have a fast break, I'm taking off. Because most of the time people are looking at me going down the middle. So that brings even two or three people. And it's either a dunk for me or it's kick out for my teammates. So I know if I run my lane, I'm going to get my teammates up in shots, I'm going to get us up in buckets."

Lively should be able to add more muscle to his frame by getting a few more summers of weight-room work under his belt, but for now, the 20-year old is taking advantage by punishing opponents with his speed and high stamina.

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"I just like to turn the game into a track meet," Lively said. "Because I can't out muscle anybody. Y'all know that. So I can definitely get around people. I can outrun them. I've got to be able to use my stamina and energy to try to get up and down as many times as I can."'

The only tough thing about trying to turn a game into a “track meet” is the fact that Doncic’s play style is typically at a slower pace. Regardless, the Mavs have done a good job at finding a balance between playing slow and fast, and that should only get better with time. Having that kind of offensive versatility can create major headaches for opponents.

"That's really hard, because Luka plays slow, but then all of us, everyone else plays fast," Lively said. "So just being able to try to match slow and fast while Luka can be able to make quick reads is very hard to do. I try to stop it in practice. I can't.”

Lively’s chemistry with Doncic has been there since they were playing pick-up games last summer after the Mavs drafted Lively out of Duke with the No. 12 pick. Given Lively’s elite length and basketball IQ, he’s been a perfect pairing with Doncic, who loves run pick-and-rolls and manipulate defenses in several defensive ways out of those actions.

"It just comes down to feel and repetition," Lively said. "If for instance they’re trapping [Luka], I know to either go a step in from the top of the three or right at the foul line, because if I'm open, that means two people have to come to me, and I either make a decision to go to the basket or kick a corner wing, or someone comes to me early and that leaves the corner wide open that no one can get out to me.

“So it's really just going out there playing a game of chess — if I'm gonna do this, you're gonna do that. I'm gonna do this. So that's how it goes."

In an exclusive interview with our Mavs Step Back Podcast after the All-Star break, Gafford told us that playing alongside Russell Westbrook in Washington for one season somewhat prepared him for how to play with Doncic. He brought up that point once again after the Mavs defeated the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.

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"The one year that I played with Russ, it kind of got me ready for it. Just being accustomed to being in the right spot at the right time,” Gafford said. “So just being ready. They always tell me to be ready for the late passes. They always tell me to be ready for the early passes too. So at the end of the day, I just gotta have my hands ready, have my hands up. Just be ready to finish it around a basket."

Gafford has certainly stayed ready, as he’s made 33 consecutive field goals heading into Thursday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder — the second-most in history next to Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time record of 35. Playing alongside Doncic has helped Gafford get in position to make history, and the big man sees a lot more success coming for the team as chemistry continues to progress.

“If it's a team that doesn't really have great rotations or if it's a team that doesn't really have great paint defense, we're going to live in the paint with two big guys, two big targets,” Gafford said. “And Luka and Kyrie, all the other guys on the team, they're going to find us at the end of the day too. You just make plays off of us, and it's a good day for everybody.”

The Mavs have won four consecutive games going into Thursday’s second night of a back-to-back against the Thunder. Doncic won’t be playing due to hamstring soreness, so we’ll see if the Mavs can keep up their winning ways without their superstar “chess” player, and we’ll see if it affects Gafford’s ability to break Chamberlain’s record as well.