Mavs’ P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford Show Off Versatility, Potential in Dallas Debut
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks introduced recent trade additions P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford ahead of Saturday's 146-111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both players made an instant impact, with 19 points, nine rebounds, and one block in 17 minutes, while P.J. Washington added 14 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 24 minutes.
Gafford and Washington provided a boost, helping fuel the Mavs to a 47-point first quarter. With Luka Doncic providing 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the opening period alone, Gafford's eight points and two rebounds helped provide a major spark. Both Gafford and Washington were on the receiving end of lob passes from Doncic for emphatic dunks, showing off the added athleticism the team faces.
"They were great, they were great. Offensively, defensively, they didn't seem nervous," Mavs coach said of Gafford and Washington. "They were really good. That first quarter, I think they (the Mavs) set a franchise record for 47 points in the first and I think let everyone know that everybody is comfortable and excited about having those two as a part of the team. I thought it was a great team win from start to finish."
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The Mavs are intrigued by the lineup combinations they have at their disposal with Gafford and Washington in the fold. Between having Dereck Lively II to anchor the unit, Maxi Kleber, who can play the four and the five, and a few small ball options who can play multiple positions like Derrick Jones Jr. and Washington, along with adding Gafford, there's a lot of versatility in the fold.
"I think it gives us an opportunity to look at different combinations," Kidd said. "I thought Gafford was great on both ends, but I thought what we've seen playing against Gafford is he gets every offensive rebound. I thought he did that for us this afternoon at a very, very high level. We're going to need that."
With how quickly Gafford and Washington made an impact defensively despite the early tipoff and the quick turnaround before making their Mavs debut, the coaching staff was impressed with how they executed the team's schemes. Both players fed into the desire to play fast and helped sustain it throughout the game.
"I thought defensively, to come in and pick up the schemes right away was a plus. Then P.J., I thought he just let the game come to him, and that's what we need," Kidd said. "I thought, again, the pace was high. We didn't have to run anybody's minutes up, and that was something that we talked about this afternoon. A lot of good stuff. I know I probably left something out, but great team win."
After playing with Doncic and Irving for the first time, Washington admitted he was surprised by how open and easy his shots were. He already expected to get clean looks consistently, but to experience it resulted in a surprise.
"Everybody was telling me that I was going to get a lot of open shots, but I didn't realize it until I was out there," Washington said. "Playing with Luka and Kyrie and all those guys, they made the game a lot easier for me. They did that for Gafford too. Just being out here was great, and I am just glad we got the win."
Gafford echoed Washington's sentiment, describing playing with Doncic and Irving as an experience he felt immediately comfortable doing. Despite being a newcomer, Gafford feels he's "already part of the mold."
"Playing with guys like Luka and Kyrie and all the other guys that were on the floor, it just felt like I was already part of the mold," Gafford said. "Being on the opposite end, looking at these guys, when it comes to our pregame stuff and how to defend these guys and so on. Seeing what they get throughout the game, playing against us, it just feels like I already know. Coming into the team, being in the right spot at the right time, doing the right things, setting the right screens, and just getting guys downhill.”
Echoing his sentiment when speaking to reporters in New York City, Mavs general manager Nico Harrison opened with remarks highlighting how Washington and Gafford help the team add needed size, depth, and scoring punch. While it's just one game, both players had strong illustrations of what the team intended.
"We wanted to get bigger, we wanted to get more depth, and we also wanted to get more scoring in the frontcourt, and these gentlemen represent all of that," Mavs general manager Nico Harrison said. "We're really excited to have them, and we think we did accomplish our goals, and we think that our team is better because of that."
In the NBA, the cycle of a transaction happens fast. There was some uncertainty if either player could play against the Thunder, considering there was only one day off between games and the tipoff time was 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Before being traded, Washington was at a restaurant with his wife, and their conversation mentioned the possibility of a trade to the Mavs before it transpired. Once the trade call came, he ran out of the restaurant to his car because he was excited to have this outcome.
"I was at a restaurant, me and my wife, and then she asked me a question; she was like, 'What would you do if you got traded to the Mavs right now?' And it was literally not three minutes later I had got traded to the Mavs, so I jumped out of the restaurant and ran to the car and was just excited," Washington said. "So for me, it's, um, nothing but excitement. I couldn't sleep and was just ready to start playing."
Gafford found out the Washington Wizards were trading him to the Mavs after he pulled to the gate of his former team's practice facility in Washington, D.C. He used it to say goodbye to his former teammates and staff members.
"I was on the way to the facility to get ready for recovery at the time, then, I got a call as soon as I got through the gate, and that's when I found out," Gafford. "So I kind of went in, said my goodbyes, let everybody know that, you know, it's not going to be the last time they see me, but going to be the last time I'll be at a Wizards jersey. Most definitely."
"So it was a real kind of weird experience because I was like, 'Okay, bet.' Going in, locking in, getting ready for the next game," Gafford explained. "Now I'm getting ready to go to another city. So it's just something that, you know, um, I was used to from being traded from Chicago. So now, just another step in my chapter of my book."
Both players described the timeline as beginning with immediately flying to Dallas to get the process accelerated in time to play. Washington was already getting a physical early on Friday morning to help maximize his outlook to play against the Thunder since it was a required part of the process.
"I got traded and then got on a flight, got here at midnight," Washington said. "I woke up the next morning around 7:00 a.m. and went through all my testing and stuff, then got pretty much a playbook, adjusted to everything, and now we're here. So, I'm ready to play."
Gafford had a similar sequence of events to get to Dallas and prepare to play, highlighting how he focused on getting acclimated with the playbook, particularly with the defensive schemes, to ensure he could make an immediate impact.
"Pretty much the same for me," Gafford said. "I got here at midnight, woke up the next morning, did physicals, and did all the medical stuff, came to the facility, got used to some of the stuff from the playbook and some of it just like the defensive schemes, but now we're here for sure."
Washington, who spent much of his childhood in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, highlighted how the outcome of being traded to the Mavs is a "full circle" moment and described it as a "dream come true."
"I feel like it all comes full circle for me; growing up here as a kid, I've always wanted to play here," Washington said. "Just being here, it's been a dream come true, and I'm just excited to get started."
Gafford has become one of the NBA's best at shot-blocking and offensive rebounding while being a general interior dirty work specialist. He sees similarities in what Dereck Lively II brings to the team, calling what the center rotation could become as being a "1-2 punch" throughout games.
"With Lively, I see a lot of similarities, for sure. When I first played against him, when I was at Washington, I was just like, 'Oh, man. It's like I'm playing against myself,'" Gafford said. "At the end of the day it's going to be a 1-2 punch, no matter how the lineup is. The other team is going to be like, 'Damn. You can't really just keep these guys off the glass. You can't really just keep these guys from having energy. At the end of the day, they're going to be flying around everywhere.'"
Playing alongside Doncic is something that Washington is intrigued by and feels will bring the best out of his game. He described the Slovenian superstar as being an "MVP in this league" and sees prominent potential playing next to him.
"I think just playing with a guy like that is going to be great for our games. It's going to showcase us a lot more, just being on a bright stage and playing with a guy like [Doncic]. He's an MVP in his league, for sure. I mean, I think he's just a great player, and then just to be able to be alongside him is going to be great."
The shooting looks Washington will receive, in particular, is something he is looking forward to when playing next to Doncic and Irving. The superstars tend to draw major attention from the defense in ways the players Washington has played with previously do not. For reference, Doncic is tracked as being the NBA's most blitzed player, creating 4-on-3 situations for his teammates.
"I think it's going to be great. They bring so much attention. There's going to be a lot of open shots," Washington said. "It will be great for me to be myself and just come in and do what I do. I'm just excited to bring versatility and come out here and play on both ends of the floor."
The offensive areas that Washington emphasized as part of his skill set were not only his perimeter shooting but also the ability to attack closeouts and be a playmaker with his passing. He wants to be a versatile option that can tie the unit together effectively.
"I can shoot the three-ball. I can drive closeouts. I can play-make. For me, just being versatile, like I said, and doing all those things at a very high level."
Gafford stressed the importance of being in the right position in a timely fashion when he's playing with Doncic and Irving to maximize the team's spacing and create play-finishing chances when the defense commits to the superstars. Gafford, 25, highlighted Irving as being his favorite point guard growing up when he watched the NBA as a high schooler.
"They bring a lot of attention and just pretty much them getting downhill. Something is going to be good for me because all I have to do is find the right spot at the right time, be in the right position to where I can either get a rebound or I can just catch a lob at the end of the day," Gafford said. "And just being with two guys like that, Kyrie was my favorite point guard growing up in high school... I'm really excited to be playing with both of these guys at the end of the day."
To make an impact, Gafford emphasized how he prioritizes blocking shots, rebounding, and being in the proper position on both offense and defense throughout games. He thrives doing the dirty work in the paint and embraces that role.
"Every chance I get, I try to be on the rim," Gafford said. "At the end of the day, blocking shots, rebounding the ball, just putting myself in the right position at the right time."
While the focus tends to be on what offensive production a team can provide, Washington emphasized how he wants to be an impact player on defense. He described himself as someone who could guard multiple positions with versatility that he felt wasn't maximized in Charlotte.
"I just want to be very versatile on the defensive end, guarding multiple positions and just showing how good I can be on that end," Washington said. "In Charlotte, we weren't really good at defense, but I feel like I can bring a lot of defense to this team."
The Mavs traded for Washington partly because of the untapped potential they see in his game, particularly on defense. Harrison emphasized how the organization will hold him accountable to be consistent defensively.
"I feel great about it, honestly," Harrison said. "You give a little bit to get what you want. And so I think that what we gave up was worth what we're getting in return."
"I also want to say P.J. talked about defense. One of the things you guys don't know is that P.J. is super talented, and the game comes easy to him. I love the fact that he talked about defense because we're going to be holding him accountable," Harrison explained. "But he can do a lot of things that he doesn't always show because the game does come easy to him. We'll push him to get the best out of him, but he really does have it on both sides of the ball."
Going from being on a rebuilding Wizards team to a team with contention aspirations like the Mavs, Gafford is excited to contribute. He views his opportunity in Dallas as almost like starting a new season, having the chance to "lock-in."
"It's exciting. It's everything you want as a player in the NBA, to be on a team that's trying to contend and win, so I think it's great," Gafford said. "I'm just super excited to be here and can't wait to start. It's for sure taking the next step in the right direction. You go from a team where we couldn't be in a position to where we are now.
"It's just kind of like locking in again, for sure. It's kind of like the start of another season for us," Gafford explained. "So pretty much coming in and just picking up where, you know, it was left From the last game from the last team that we were on, I would say."
The Mavs will get another look at their new additions on Monday when taking on Gafford's former team, the Wizards. Dallas has two games remaining before entering the NBA All-Star break.
