When we talk about the Dallas Mavericks, the first player that comes to everyone’s mind is Luka Doncic.
While Dallas has other elite players like Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, it’s Doncic who keeps the Mavericks’ ship moving. He’s dominated the league since being drafted in 2018, and his dominance has translated into five straight All-NBA First Team appearances, an NBA Finals appearance and a Western Conference Finals MVP award.
Doncic has been unstoppable for most of the 2024 NBA playoffs despite multiple nagging injuries, and he’s poised to have another breakout season in 2024-25, as has already been predicted. leads NBA Cup in scoring.
While Doncic’s scoring is what everyone thinks of first when discussing his skills, his passing is also elite. Last season, Doncic averaged 9.8 assists per game, and his elite passing makes everyone around him better.
Doncic is a pick and roll artist, and Dallas One-on-two deadly punch in the center with Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford benefiting greatly from Doncic’s departure. According to BBall Index, Lively II and Gafford were both in the top 5 of “roll man impact” which is a measure of a player’s efficiency when driving to the basket (Gafford was ranked No. 2 while Lively II was ranked No. 5).
While Lively II and Gafford both deserve credit for their finishing around the basket in the pick and roll, Doncic’s excellence in lobbing passes is the main reason these two players are on this list. Doncic is an elite scorer and passer in the pick and roll, and his expertise in that area has helped Lively II and Gafford immensely.
Doncic helping both of those young bigs become elite players in that area has been huge for the Mavs, and it’s going to help both of them get paid well once their contracts expire. Gafford is under contract through the end of the 2025-26 season while Lively II is under contract through the end of the 2026-27 season.
Both of these players will continue to develop offensively with Doncic’s help, and when their contracts in Dallas are up, they’ll be entitled to big paydays. Lively II could be someone who gets closer to the max salary due to his immense potential on both ends of the floor, and Gafford’s high-octane play will certainly help him command more than the $13.39 million annual salary he’s making on his current deal.
The Mavs’ turnaround in the second half of last season was largely due to the arrival of Gafford, and his impact should not be overlooked. He was inches away from break Wilt Chamberlain’s record of most consecutive field goals made without a miss last season, and his energy and effort proved vital for the Mavs late in games.
Doncic has helped both of these young bigs reach new heights, and they’re only poised to get even better as neither center has reached his peak yet.
This isn’t to take anything away from Gafford or Lively II’s game, as both are excellent rim protectors and Lively II develops into an excellent short-range passer and has his eyes on become an effective 3-point shooterbut Doncic helps bring out the best in both of them.
Doncic’s gravity on the ball is unmatched, and as long as Gafford and Lively II are his pick-and-roll partners, they’ll have a nice outlook at the rim. While the Mavs won’t have to worry about paying Gafford or Lively II anytime soon, they might have to offer them big contracts one day because of their talent in the pick-and-roll with Doncic.
