9. Daniel Gafford, Center
Although the Chicago Bulls made the move over the weekend to send the former Arkansas Razorbacks big man Daniel Gafford to the G-League affiliate Windy City Bulls, there was a big outcry to have him stay with the NBA team. Gafford was solid for the Bulls in the Vegas Summer League and throughout the five-game preseason slate.
A player efficiency rating that hovered between 20-30 for Gafford in Summer League and the preseason showed plenty of ability to make an impact down low. But the frontcourt rotation does have more options available to Boylen than it did last season.
Granted the polished skill set of Gafford seems to make him a better option to make an early impact off the bench than most other rookies this season that are also second round picks.
Keeping Gafford down in the G-League for one season until he consistently proves he’s ready for an NBA role off the bench could be a good move by the front office. But if Kornet continues to struggle as the second center in Boylen’s rotation, the outcries and Gafford’s steady production could eventually become too much to ignore.
Similar to that of Harrison and Valentine, Gafford didn’t get much of any game action off the bench through six games thus far for the Bulls. Gafford also made his preseason Windy City Bulls debut down in the G-League in a win over the Sioux City Skyforce (affiliate of the Miami Heat), on Nov. 2.
Moreover, Gafford still looks like one of the biggest second round steals from the 2019 NBA Draft at this point and could generate a good amount of buzz if he were to be made available in a possible trade package.