The Dallas Mavericks will be shorthanded for a while. Center Daniel Gafford will reportedly miss at least six weeks with an MCL sprain, per ESPN.
The Mavericks originally announced Tuesday that Gafford, who suffered the injury during Monday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings, would be reevaluated in two weeks. Now, it looks like Dallas’ injury woes will be longer lasting.
Gafford seemingly confirmed that he would be out for a while in a story on his Instagram. Over a video of him playing, the center wrote, “Y’all wait for me…Be back soon.”
Gafford, 26, is in his second year with Dallas and has started about half of the games this season. Prior to the injury, he was averaging 12.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.
It’s a major blow for Dallas, which was already struggling with injuries. Three of the Mavericks’ other big men — Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell — are also injured. Davis was sidelined by an adductor injury suffered during his debut with the team Saturday, days after the blockbuster trade that sent him to Dallas and sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. Lively and Powell are out with ankle and hip injuries, respectively.
Mavericks fans have not responded well to the loss of Dončić, their beloved superstar; now, these unfortunate injuries point to things becoming more dire for Dallas. Kessler Edwards, a 6-foot-7 two-way forward, has filled in at center for the Mavs.
Even with the bench thinning out, the Mavericks have won their past two games, beating the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday and the Miami Heat on Thursday. Both games were narrow but well-fought victories; Kyrie Irving dropped 42 in the win over the Warriors, while Thursday’s win over the Heat saw seven Mavericks finish in double digits.
