Health was always going to be one of the main opponents the Dallas Mavericks face this season. Kyrie Irving will miss most, if not all, of the regular season with a torn ACL. Anthony Davis is always a health question mark. Now there’s another name to add to the list: center Daniel Gafford. The 27-year-old big man kicked off training camp on a sour note, suffering an ankle injury that will sideline him for 2-3 weeks.
Dallas’ first regular-season game against the San Antonio Spurs is exactly three weeks from today. If this injury timeline proves to be correct, he should be able to suit up for their season debut. But ankle injuries are tricky.
Gafford averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game last season for Dallas across 57 games. He signed a three-year, $54 million extension with the Mavericks in the offseason. It’s unclear how head coach Jason Kidd manages such a loaded frontcourt, one with Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, Dereck Lively II, PJ Washington, and Gafford all competing for minutes at the 4/5 spots in the lineup. Gafford’s injury sure isn’t going to help his case.
