Dallas hits the jackpot at the trade deadline.
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 116-93 on Friday night at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, to open the 2023-2024 NBA regular season.
The win was Dallas’ sixth straight. Interestingly, Dallas’ six-game winning streak came after the trade market ended. 토토사이트 Dallas is seeing the benefits of their trade acquisitions.
Dallas has been busy in the trade market. The Mavs acquired Daniel Gafford from the Washington Wizards for Rashawn Holmes and a first-round draft pick.
They also acquired PJ Washington from the Charlotte Hornets for Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and a first-round pick.
Dallas immediately began to utilize the two players they acquired. Gafford took over the starting center spot vacated by Derrick Lively II due to injury, and Washington took over the starting power forward spot that had been Williams’.
Both players immediately fit into the team as if they were original teammates. Dallas had been struggling at the starting center position all season. Rookie Lively II stepped up to the plate, but Lively II is also an inexperienced rookie. He has shown flashes of inexperience and hasn’t been able to complete his game on defense.
Gafford, on the other hand, has been the perfect fit for Dallas’ needs as a rim protector and a big man who can catch passes from Luka Doncic. His chemistry with Doncic, in particular, is so perfect that it’s hard to believe this is the first time they’ve met.
In his three games with Dallas, Gafford is averaging 21 minutes per game with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 2.3 blocked shots. That’s a pretty impressive stat line for his minutes. With a solid Gafford and Lively II back from injury, the center position is no longer a weakness for Dallas.
Washington is also playing well. Dallas brought in Williams as a free agent last summer. The expectation was to add depth to the 3&D position, which has been lacking since the departure of Dorian Finney-Smith.
Williams’ early season performance seemed to solve Dallas’ woes. He started the season shooting nearly 50% from three-point range and anchored the Dallas offense. However, as the season wore on, his three-point percentage dropped and, most recently, his minutes were reduced due to an extreme slump.
His defense has also been disappointing. Williams is a physical defender who uses his length and thickness to his advantage. Dallas was hoping for a Finney-Smith-type defense that could cover the entire floor. Dallas and Williams were a mismatch to begin with.
Washington, on the other hand, is not as good at simple one-on-one defense as Williams, but he has the speed to cover space.
On offense, he’s not just a 3-point shooter, but he can do a lot of things with the ball, including post-ups and one-on-ones. His offensive game is superior to Williams’.
The addition of Washington opens up more space for Kyrie Irving and Doncic. If Irving and Doncic get stuck, they’ll have someone who can take care of the offense.
In other words, Dallas got a starting power forward and a starting center in this trade. With their season-long concerns addressed, it’s no wonder their performance is bound to follow.
The scary part is that Dallas still has injuries. Dante Axum, who has been a solid 3&D player, and rookie Lively II are expected to return after the All-Star break. Expect Dallas to be a dark horse in the Western Conference for the rest of the season.
