A curse seems to have befallen the Mavericks since they traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers. In Dallas, they have run out of resources in the paint as all five interior players are injured: Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, Dwight Powell, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford, who was the last to fall.
Gafford suffered a sprained right knee in the game against the Kings, which was the third loss in five games since the NBA experienced an earthquake with the Doncic trade. The new casualty will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
The Mavericks had already lost Davis on his debut with the team. He was having a great performance against the Rockets when he had to leave due to a strain in the adductor of his left leg. There is talk of a period of around a month, although the most pessimistic believe it will be indefinite.
In the hands of Washington and an inexperienced
Lively has not played for some time due to a stress fracture in his right foot. He is expected to be out for two to three months. Powell has a hip injury that has no timetable for recovery. And PJ Washington has an ankle injury. His return seems the closest. Perhaps he will be available in the next game.
With that in mind, Olivier-Maxence Prosper had to play center when Gafford was injured in the last game. He has 83 NBA games under his belt, only three as a starter, and his average minutes is 9.3. When he recovers, Washington could also be forced to play the ‘5’ position.