Entering the 2024-25 season, the Dallas Mavericks had one question that needed to be answered.
No one knew who was going to be the starting center on opening night, and despite Jason Kidd saying that Dereck Lively II would start at center to begin the year, his tone when answering questions about it said otherwise.
Kidd encouraged competition during training camp, and once October 24 rolled around, he elected to start Daniel Gafford at the five. Gafford was Dallas' starting big throughout their playoff run and elite final stretch of the season last season, and Kidd decided to stick with him to begin the year.
Starting Lively II has helped turn Mavericks' season into a masterpiece
He started the first 11 games of the season, but after that, Kidd rolled with Lively II. Although some fans didn't like that decision at the time because of how Gafford had been playing, Kidd's decision to start Lively II is aging beautifully. It's not easy to bench a player who was playing as well as Gafford was, but sometimes change is necessary. It seemed like there was a chance that Kidd was going to consider bringing Gafford back into the starting lineup, and while that is still a possibility, Lively II has been his guy for nearly a month.
Lively II has started in every game that he has been available for since November 14 when he made his first start of the season against the Utah Jazz, and Kidd and the Mavs haven't looked back. It looks like he has become the permanent starting center for now, and he is truly morphing into one of the top 10 centers in the NBA.
When observing Dallas' five with Lively II on the floor compared to Gafford, the numbers immediately jump off the page in favor of the Doncic-Irving-Thompson-Washington-Lively II unit over the Doncic-Irving-Thompson-Washington-Gafford lineup.
In the Gafford lineup, that unit has an offensive rating of 109.6 and a defensive rating of 117.1. That unit's defensive rating is much higher than it should be, and when looking at the other unit's analytics, they blow Gafford's unit out of the water.
In the 82 minutes that Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Lively II have shared the floor, they have a 120.6 offensive rating and a 103.0 defensive rating. Dallas is much better on both ends of the floor when this five-man unit is playing, and the analytics are undeniable when breaking down how each of these units play together.
Dallas is 10-2 when Lively II is the starting center, and while Dallas starting Lively II benefits him, coming off the bench actually helps Gafford. He is great at dominating teams' second units, and he uses his size to bully smaller defenders down low much more often this season it seems. Gafford worked hard in the weight room to put on muscle over the summer, and his added mass has been a major help to his scoring down low and physicality.
Gafford is having the best scoring season of his career so far as he is averaging 12.7 points per game while shooting 73.2 percent from the field, and he has scored 15+ points eight different times this season. He looks more comfortable when scoring in the paint, and he also remains a deadly lob threat in the pick and roll and in transition.
Both players being good enough to start is a great problem to have, and Lively II joining the starting lineup has also helped them get out to stronger starts. Strong starts plagued the Mavs early in the season, but that isn't a problem anymore.
In the 12 games that Lively II has started, the Mavs are a +57 in the first quarter. In the 12 games that Gafford has started, they are a -23 in the opening quarter. These numbers don't lie, and while Doncic wasn't playing the best while Gafford was the starter, Lively II's impact is undeniable.
His scoring out of the low post looks much better compared to last season, and his defense remains elite. Lively II continues to get better when having to switch onto a guard, and his ability to anchor a defense is showing signs of greatness. He is averaging 1.6 blocks per game compared to the 1.4 that he averaged last year, and his energy and defensive intentionality have been huge in the Mavs getting off to these strong starts and holding the lead.
Dallas has a great problem on their hands when it comes to having two centers who are excellent talents in this league, but the starting center moving forward is clear. Lively II gets better every single game, and Kidd's decision to switch things up and start him over Gafford has been crucial for both players.
