Daniel Gafford’s rim protection is exposing a Mavericks defensive dilemma

Austin McGee of The Smoking Cuban writes that Daniel Gafford's elite rim protection is masking significant defensive vulnerabilities for the Dallas Mavericks early in the season. Gafford leads the NBA by holding opponents 22.1 percentage points below their expected field goal percentage at the rim, resulting in Dallas performing 21.7 points per 100 possessions better when he is playing.

However, McGee argues that the team faces an unsustainable dilemma due to its heavy reliance on Gafford. Dallas suffers significant defensive drop-offs when Gafford sits, as alternative frontcourt options like Morez Johnson Jr. and P.J. Washington allow higher shooting marks, while Dereck Lively II and Moussa Cisse face availability and experience issues.