The Dallas Mavericks have officially started training camp for the 2025 NBA regular season and are already facing multiple injury concerns.
Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd said center Daniel Gafford is now expected to miss the first 2–3 weeks after suffering a sprained ankle during the opening day of camp, meaning he will likely miss the entirety of the team’s preseason games.
Gafford, who is entering his third season with the franchise and recently signed a contract extension, is once again expected to play a major role for this team.
The six-foot-ten-inch center finished last season averaging 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 70.2% from the field in his 57 appearances.
Meanwhile, guard Brandon Williams is also expected to miss one week due to a hamstring strain, though he is expected to be back on the court at some point in the preseason.
While Williams was not a major part of the Mavericks’ rotation last season, averaging 8.3 points and only 14.8 minutes per game, there was a path to him seeing a slightly larger role this year as a reserve point guard, even if minutes remain limited.
Additionally, guard Dante Exum, who returned to Dallas on a veteran minimum contract, has yet to practice with the team to start training camp due to an undisclosed reason.
Finally, PJ Washington experienced a minor head bump in practice but is expected to be available without missing any time, providing the Mavericks with some stability in their wing rotation as they prepare for the regular season.
The Mavericks will continue navigating these setbacks as the team aims to rebound from a difficult season that ended with a loss in the play-in tournament.
Dallas added multiple key pieces to the roster during the offseason and is now viewed as one of the many contenders to win the Western Conference, with the team likely needing a fully healthy roster to be one of the best in the league.
Luckily, this team has time to fully recover before the beginning of the regular season, with the preseason scheduled to begin on October 6 and the regular season beginning on October 22 against the San Antonio Spurs.