Dec 23, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (left) and center Daniel Gafford (center) and guard Quentin Grimes (right) celebrate on the team bench during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mavericks' rumored starting 5 raises cause for concern

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Sep 22, 2025 7:12 PM ET

The Dallas Mavericks will be starting training camp in about a week, and the rumored starting 5, per Sam Amico , is D'Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson, Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Daniel Gafford, if they are all healthy. Davis is coming back from a repaired detached retina, so he may be limited at first.

However, this brings up the ongoing debate about who the Mavericks should start at center, as Dereck Lively II has the highest the highest ceiling, but the staff may trust Gafford more. But is that what's best for the team?

The Case to Start Daniel Gafford

Gafford started last season poorly, but by January, he was playing at a high level. He ended up averaging a career high in points at 12.8 PPG, but it helped that Lively missed a handful of time due to a stress fracture in his foot, giving Gafford more playing time. But the eye test backed up those better numbers. He even had a career-high 31 points against the Charlotte Hornets.

The coaches may just see Gafford as a more reliable option. There's also the possibility that Lively is still recovering from having bone spurs removed after his injury last year.

The Case to Start Dereck Lively II

Lively is by FAR the better playmaker of the two. He has shown real potential in getting the ball in the short roll and kicking out to open shooters or cutters, which is the main difference between the two centers. And that playmaking could also determine why Lively could come off the bench.

The team's point guard situation is dire until Kyrie Irving returns, as they'll be relying on D'Angelo Russell, Dante Exum, Brandon Williams, and Jaden Hardy to fill that gap. They may be more confident in Russell to be a solid playmaker, but more concerned about the depth down the board, and need a playmaking boost off the bench.

However, the Mavericks keep teasing that Lively will be shooting threes at some point. If that happens, and if he's efficient, he'll need to play a lot with Anthony Davis. The spacing is likely going to be pretty horrific, so having a big man who can space the floor with Davis playing power forward would be a massive boost to the offense.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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