MAVS NEWS:

[KillerLeft]

Not sure if its really an apples to oranges comparison of Lively to Gafford net and defensive rating last year.  Most of Lively minutes were prior to the trade when the Mavs were struggling with a lot of injuries, and a lot of Gafford's minutes were when Lively was out and the team was otherwise healthy.  There were few games in that sample when both were playing.

In the playoffs (where Gafford's limitations are more exploited) Lively had a significantly better net rating and defensive rating as he does this season.  Given that Lively was rookie last year with a very steep learning curve, I think the playoff and current season data is probably more indicative of what those two are.

Well, and not to mention that Lively is still improving at a rapid rate, even as we sit here typing this. Foot quickness and change of direction are there for him and will be for a while. Those are real, tangible problems for Gafford, and aren't things that improve later in a player's career. 

I don't mean to suggest that Gafford has no utility on defense. He's obviously a good shot blocker (again, when he happens to be in the paint at the same time as the ball) and I think he's pretty disciplined about running back in defensive transition when his minutes are low enough. But, anyone who watches the NBA at all knows that those multiple drag screens make drop coverage kind of tough to employ if you want to win, and it's just a fact that the Mavs kind of have to play that way when Gafford is in the game. Lively offers much, much more optionality in terms of playing at the level of the screen, switching (which the Mavs are doing more this season), etc.  Also, we talk so much about rim protection around here, but the OTHER shot teams want, and honestly, probably the more dangerous one, is the open three created by getting the defense into rotation. Gafford is the weakest link in that chain on this team by a comfortable margin to my eye, at least among those actually in the rotation. Luka has moments where he's pretty bad in this area, too, but his moments seem more focus/effort related, and he's carrying a huge weight on the other end. Gafford literally can't move well enough to defend 2-4 areas of the court on one possession without giving the offense something they like. 

Not trying to bash the dude, because he's an offensive force in the paint that's super hard to deal with for the opposing defense. He's a top-5 backup center, easily. I'm just happy to see the roles/minutes trending in the right direction. There will obviously be situations like foul trouble, injury, whatever, where Gafford is asked to give them more time, and I think he'll come through more often than not.