‘A Lot More Flashes’: Daniel Gafford Details Role In Dusty May’s Dallas Mavericks Offense Before Atlanta Hawks Finale

DALLAS — Daniel Gafford will still set ball screens in Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May’s offense this season, but more of his work is going to come on flashes and dribble handoffs, the center said Friday morning before the preseason finale against the Atlanta Hawks.

Gafford did not play in Wednesday’s 101-97 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at American Airlines Center. May has called Friday’s game, set for a 7 p.m. CT tip-off in the same building, a “dress rehearsal” for the regular season.

Last season, Gafford averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 55 games, and 66.1% of his field-goal attempts came within three feet of the rim. Gafford said he is a trigger for a lot of what Dallas does offensively.

“There’s a lot of areas that I’m, of course, uncomfortable in,” Gafford said. “But I’m a lot of, I would say a trigger effect for a lot of things that we do offensively. It’s a lot more flashes. I’m not necessarily saying too many ball screens, but ball screens are still something I’m going to be setting, of course.”

“But it’s more of the flashes, DHOs, and a lot of just continuous actions to where we’re making teams have to work a lot more throughout the season,” Gafford continued.

Through three preseason games, Dallas has averaged 46.7 3-point attempts, the most in the NBA. Atlanta is next at 46.3. Teams facing the Mavericks have to guard actions on more than one side of the floor.

“It’s just continuous action,” Gafford explained. “We’re making a lot of teams guard multiple actions, first side, second side, third side. And we’re trying to play, of course, throughout the whole shot clock. And we’re just working to find that best shot throughout the game.”

Daniel Gafford Hits First Three In Macao Preseason Opener

Before this preseason, Gafford had attempted one 3-pointer across seven NBA regular seasons, a miss for the Washington Wizards in 2021-22. In the first quarter of the Oct. 9 opener against the Houston Rockets at The Venetian Arena in Macao, China, he made a spot-up three off a kick-out from rookie Sergio de Larrea. Gafford said May and pretty much everybody on the roster have been putting positive energy into him to take those shots.

“Honestly, just being confident, I want to say,” Gafford said. “Coach and pretty much everybody on the team has kind of been fueling a lot of that positive energy into me to take those shots, so it’s only right that I take that shot in that moment.”

Gafford finished the 135-117 loss with 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal in 8 minutes on 3-of-4 shooting. Two days later, he started and scored 9 points on 3-of-3 shooting in 14 minutes, 38 seconds of a 132-115 win. May said on the second day of training camp that Gafford will shoot rhythm threes as long as he continues to earn the right. The shooting Gafford put on display at a fan event is part of his skill set and something he is working on.

“I want to say yes, but at the same time, I was just out there having fun too,” Gafford said. “So that’s kind of like the things that I try to implement with basketball. I got a love for this game. As I grow in my career, I want to have as much fun as I possibly can.”

“So that was just like one of those days where it’s like, of course, it’s something that I’m working on, but I just had fun in the moment for sure,” Gafford continued.

Gafford On Dusty May’s Late Play, Defensive Rebounding, And Kyrie Irving’s Return

Dallas trailed New Orleans by three with five seconds left Wednesday when May drew up a play that ended with a pass to Seth Lundy. May said Thursday that he liked the screening on the set and the lessons inside it. Gafford was not on the floor for it, and he said May pays attention to a lot of details in the plays he runs.

“He’s just picking up basically from when he started training camp,” Gafford said. “Like, that’s easy. I would say he’s one of the best college coaches that has came into the NBA. Honestly, like the way he sees the game, he’s just having fun. Of course, like building his craft, and he pays attention to a lot of details when it comes to like the plays that he’s run.”

“So when it came to that play, I know for a fact it was something drawn up, drew up,” Gafford continued. “Everybody understood their assignment, and if they didn’t, they asked a question, and he made sure they understood for sure.”

May led Michigan to the 2026 NCAA championship before the Mavericks introduced him June 29. Physicality is the number one thing in any game for Gafford, and Dallas has to be ready for it.

“Really, they have shown us areas that we can improve on, I would say,” Gafford said. “A lot of defensive rebounding stuff we can improve on. Of course, taking away transition buckets.”

Houston finished the Oct. 11 game in Macao with 21 offensive rebounds to Dallas’ 15. When a play dies down without the right action, the Mavericks go back into their continuous action, in Gafford’s description.

“Honestly, I feel like, of course, with how fast we play, I think that’s the main thing,” Gafford said. “And just really our communication. Like, as much as plays unfold, a lot of plays may die down to where we don’t get the right action out of it.”

“If we get an offensive rebound, we get it out. If we can get the shot off, we can get it off,” Gafford continued. “If not, we going into that continuous action that I was talking about earlier. We’re just trying to find more and more ways to get the right shot on the floor.”

Kyrie Irving tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on March 3, 2025, against the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Center, 592 days before Friday’s game. He returned Oct. 11 in Macao and had 17 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists on 6-of-13 shooting in 22 minutes. Gafford is as excited as anybody else for Irving’s first game back in front of the home crowd.

“I feel like it’s going to be real good,” Gafford said. “It’s been far too long since we’ve seen Kyrie on the basketball court, and I’m excited just as anybody else would be.”

Dallas enters Friday 1-2 in the preseason. The Mavericks open the regular season Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Houston, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. CT.