Mavs’ Daniel Gafford Sees Major Potential in P.J. Washington: 'Sky is the Limit for Him'
The Dallas Mavericks are riding a six-game winning streak heading into Thursday night’s big matchup against the Phoenix Suns, and they’ve won all three games that newcomers Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington have played in since the trade deadline.
Gafford has hit the ground running, being a seamless center fit alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving while averaging 15.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Washington has fit in well too, especially on the defensive end of the floor, but he isn’t shooting the ball up to his standards yet.
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Despite Washington shooting just 40.7 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from deep, the Mavs have still been able to sting together wins, which is an encouraging sign going forward. During an exclusive interview on our Mavs Step Back Podcast this week, Gafford talked about how the best has yet to come for his new teammate.
"I mean, the sky is the limit,” Gafford told DallasBasketball.com. “Especially once guys get to the point [where] night-in, night-out, they're [comfortable]. And I know it's gonna take some time for him to fully get to that point, but I have all faith in P.J. I played against him ... not necessarily high school, but AAU for sure.
“He was on Team Penny, I was on Arkansas Wings, and we played against each other almost every other weekend. So I've seen it, and I know sooner or later he's gonna take that step in the right direction into where he's fully comfortable out there doing the things that he needs to do.”
Adjusting to a new environment after a trade can be tough for an NBA player, especially when they’re traded mid-season, but now both Gafford and Washington have been able to take a full week to get caught up to speed due to the All-Star break.
“Pretty sure he's still learning just like me, and I have all faith that he's going to be able to spring out into the player he was expected to be coming into this trade,” Gafford said.
“It's not easy being traded, having that transition. I don't know if it's hard for him or not, but like I said, I've got his back. I'm always there for him, and I'm gonna continue to push him as long as he pushes me. Sky is the limit for him, and I just can't wait until he fully gets to that point to where it's like, 'yeah, let's get it.'"
With the Mavs trailing the Suns by one game for the fifth-seed in the Western Conference standings, there wouldn’t be a better time for Washington to have his breakout game on offense than on Thursday night at American Airlines Center.
