Daniel Gafford has spent seven NBA seasons doing the same thing exceptionally well: catching the ball near the rim and making the defense regret being late. Now the Mavericks center is willing to make himself slightly less predictable, one rhythm three at a time.
That was the significant development from Dallas’ Friday training-camp update. Gafford said he is ready to embrace additional three-point attempts when the offense presents them, while acknowledging that the shot may feel uncomfortable at first and that confidence will have to arrive before the habit does.
This is an experiment with boundaries, not a declaration that a 70.2% career field-goal shooter is about to become a floor-spacing center.
The distinction matters because Gafford’s value has always been unusually concentrated. Across 433 career games, he has made his living as a finisher, rebounder and vertical target. He averaged 9.5 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 65.5% last season, starting 44 of 55 games for Dallas. He has attempted one NBA three-pointer in his career, a long-distance heave during his 2021-22 season in Washington.
That résumé does not forbid a new shot. It simply makes the burden of proof higher than one pleasant practice anecdote.
Spacing without abandoning the paint
The potential payoff is easy to see. If Gafford can make an open three often enough to demand a defender’s attention, a big man cannot sit comfortably in the lane while the Mavericks’ guards and wings attack. A defender would face a choice: remain in the paint and concede Gafford’s jumper, or close out toward the perimeter and leave space nearer the basket.
But the conditional phrase is doing all the work. A center who takes a three without making it a credible threat may surrender his best advantage for no strategic return. Dallas still needs the screening, rolling, lob finishing and rebounding that Gafford has built his career around. The shot should widen those actions, not replace them.
Coach Dusty May’s offensive emphasis gives the experiment a sensible frame. Gafford has described learning to slow his own processing inside a faster offense, particularly when deciding whether to move the ball on the perimeter. May wants him to contribute as a connector as well as a finisher.
That means a rhythm three is one possible decision in a chain, not the identity of the possession.
Consider the difference between two defensive reactions. If a defender stays planted in the paint, an open Gafford three may be the correct response to the coverage. If that same defender closes hard, Gafford’s value may be in moving the ball, attacking the recovering opponent or returning to the lane. The successful read is not automatically the most adventurous one.
