Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said Daniel Gafford will be listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Washington Wizards.
It’s a positive development after the seventh-year center missed Wednesday’s season-opening loss to the San Antonio Spurs and the majority of the preseason because of a right ankle sprain suffered on Sept. 30 — the first day the Mavericks opened training camp in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“He did some stuff today,” Kidd said. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
Gafford went through a post-practice drill that included spot-up midrange shooting, 1-on-1 defense and free-throw shooting. He was initially billed as questionable for Wednesday’s game, but was downgraded to doubtful because of soreness.
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Daniel Gafford went through a post-practice drill that included spot up midrange shooting and 1-on-1 defense (not shown). He’s ramping up for a return that could come as soon as Friday against Washington. pic.twitter.com/bWgslMyfF3
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) October 23, 2025
The Mavericks could’ve used Gafford’s services to throw another body in the mix to defend Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, who dominated the first game of the season with 40 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. Starting center Dereck Lively II played just 10 minutes due to foul trouble, collecting five fouls in that limited amount of time.
Gafford averaged a career-best 12.3 points, alongside 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.8 blocks in 57 games last season.
There’s some significance in Gafford possibly being available to play on Friday because he spent three seasons with the Wizards before he was traded to Dallas during the 2023-24 season.
X/Twitter: @MikeACurtis2
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