Kidd’s Center Strategy Takes Shape: Gafford Starts, Lively Energizes Bench in Mavericks Victory Over Spurs
Mavericks debut center rotation with Gafford starting, Lively off the bench, anchoring defense in season-opening win over Spurs. Kidd’s strategy highlights depth and flexibility.
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks opened their 2024-25 regular season campaign with a 120-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs, with centers Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II anchoring a solid defensive performance. The duo helped limit rising superstar Victor Wembanyama to 17 points on 5-of-18 shooting, a significant factor in Dallas’ season-opening success.
Gafford, who started, contributed nine points, six rebounds, a block, and a steal in 19 minutes, setting a physical tone before foul trouble limited his time. The choice to start Gafford followed his strong preseason performance and history as a defensive anchor. Since joining Dallas, Gafford has a 32-12 record in starts across the regular season and playoffs, averaging 10.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks.
“But when you just talk about the two, Gaff and D Live, just understanding, those two push each other in practice, cheer for one another, and are the anchor of our defense,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said before the game. “It’s a beautiful thing to have.”
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Lively provided a significant boost off the bench, finishing with 15 points, a game-high 11 rebounds, and six assists in 28 minutes. His production helped fuel a 40-31 third-quarter run, allowing Dallas to pull ahead and maintain control of the game.
“I feel like we were very connected,” Lively said of the team’s defensive focus. “Even when we weren’t always vocal, we huddled up, knew we needed to be more active, more vocal, and disciplined on defense.”
Kidd appreciated Lively’s energy and impact on Dallas’ second unit, a factor he sees as an asset this season. “What I love about D-Live coming off the bench is his energy, and that’s something that’s contagious,” Kidd said before he suggested that Lively’s role could expand as the season progresses. “It’s an opportunity to start Gaf here, and we’ll look somewhere down the road to start D-Live,” he said.
Thursday’s matchup marked the second consecutive season opener against Wembanyama, and Lively welcomed the challenge. “He’s a good player—definitely showed that last season,” Lively said. “When he’s on the court, you have to acknowledge his presence. The competitiveness and will to win just make the game more exciting. Having players like that out there makes it all the more fun.”
Dallas’ spacing was noticeably improved with the addition of Klay Thompson, whose presence on the perimeter helped open up the floor for Lively. The center recorded six assists, benefiting from the gaps that Thompson, Luka Dončić, and Kyrie Irving created, tying his career high for assists in a game. The centers have no shortage of options when operating out of Delay sets and orchestrating handoff actions.
“It’s all about reading the floor,” Lively said. “Klay finds his gaps, whether he’s running off screens, slipping screens with Kai or Luka. There are a lot more plays we can run, which opens up the paint, allowing us to move the ball and get good shots.”
Reflecting on his rookie season and Dallas’ playoff run, Lively expressed how those experiences have fueled his motivation. “It lights a fire under you,” he said. “It’s not just about 82 games anymore; you have to be ready for at least 105-108 to go all the way. Getting a taste of that just makes you hungrier, wanting to push even harder.”
Gafford shared a similar approach, emphasizing how he and Lively use external criticism as motivation. “Criticism, for us, is constructive,” Gafford said. “If we react the right way and approach it as motivation, it pushes us to dominate on the floor.”
Kidd highlighted the depth of the center rotation, explaining that the Mavericks could also go small by shifting Maxi Kleber or P.J. Washington to the center position.
“Yeah, I think when you look at it, we have 48 minutes of protection at the center; we can slide Maxi into that situation,” Kidd said. “And even PJ, if we want to go small, if there’s a team out there that’s going to play small, we feel we can play small.”
As Dallas prepares for a road matchup against the Phoenix Suns, Kidd’s confidence in his center rotation remains high. The combination of Gafford’s physicality and Lively’s energy off the bench provides Dallas with flexibility and a defensive foundation to tackle the challenges of the Western Conference.
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