MAVS NEWS:

[Chicagojk]

Hollinger has an article in the athletic saying Gafford could be the leagues most underrated player.

Daniel Gafford has been good all year, but if you haven’t been paying attention to the Luka Dončić-less Mavs lately, he’s been monstrous since mid-January. In the last two weeks, he’s had multiple video-game stat lines: 9-of-9 with 22 points and 12 rebounds; 12-of-15 with 31 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks; and 12-of-13 with 27 points and 12 rebounds, for example.

The tape backs up the quality of play: Gafford is an athletic, physical force who combines it with strength, toughness, Velcro hands and a great motor. He might be the league’s most underrated player. Look at him destroy New Orleans’ poor Yves Missi here for an offensive board and putback:

Gafford has 91 dunks on the season, just under two per game, and that’s with Dončić, his primary lob supplier missing most of the season. Defensively, it’s a similar story. Gafford’s rim protection has been an underrated factor, especially as the Mavs weather injuries to other big men.

For the season, Gafford’s 25.7 PER ranks sixth in the entire league — yes, really — because of his dominance inside. He’s fourth in offensive rebound rate and third in block rate, and his shooting percentage isn’t just feasting on dunks: He’s shown surprising touch around the lane and has made 62.4 percent even from 3 to 10 feet.