6 Dallas Mavericks players who must play better to beat the Clippers

3. Daniel Gafford

All season long, Daniel Gafford has been dominant ever since being traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He earned the starting nod over stud rookie Dereck Lively II, was inches away from breaking Wilt Chamberlain's consecutive field goals made without a miss record, and has been an amazing teammate at all times.

Gafford was everything that Dallas needed out of their starting big during the regular season, but that has not been the case in the playoffs.

Through four games, Gafford is averaging 4.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 37.5 percent from the field. Gafford's poor shooting from the field is shocking considering that he led the NBA in field-goal percentage this season with 72.5 percent, and the Mavs need Gafford to get back to his dominant ways.

The Mavericks' pick-and-roll game has been neutralized by the Clippers for the most part in this series, and they have to find a way to get Gafford back involved. It doesn't even have to be in the pick and roll. Gafford is an underrated finisher around the bucket and is usually a force on the offensive glass, and the Mavs are at their best when he is playing with energy.

Some of the loudest moments at the American Airlines Center are Gafford's hustle plays and dunks, and he can impact the game massively when he is fully locked in and he and Luka Doncic are on the same page in the pick and roll.