Game 55: San Antonio Spurs (11-43) vs. Dallas Mavericks (31-23)

[dirkfansince1998]

This is an interesting discussion.  

I think Gafford will have a positive impact for us defensively because of a different reason.  He isn't as quick as Maxi or PJ and so won't be able to contest as effectively.  He will, however, be in better rebounding position to secure the defensive rebound.  We were the league's 2nd-worst rebounding team prior to the trade.  It was a huge liability.

Since the trade, we have secured 31 more rebounds than our opponent. Gafford is why.  Gafford is averaging 12 boards per 21 minutes for us.  Gafford won't be able to guard the perimeter like our other rotation bigs.  He'll be the best defensive rebounder we have though and that will make him a net positive on defense.  He will also guard the rim significantly better than DP.  We acquired him to be a backup center and I think he'll thrive in that role.  He's held his own as a starter so far.

A big rebounder can help but it only matters if you can actually force misses. It's a trade off. Sometimes it might be worth it. In others games it is going to be a big issue. So far undersized lineups with Kleber at center are way better on defense. Even if the rebounding is worse.
I think the Powell comparisation is a good one. Gafford brings Powell's hustle and motor but in a bigger body. With more upside because he still has a lot of room to improve when it comes to the execution of the scheme.