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10 - Daniel Gafford

6-10, 240 Power Forward/Center
Arkansas Sophomore
Birthday
10/01/98 (25.5 yrs)
Hometown
El Dorado, Arkansas
High School
El Dorado
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
9
Size
9
Defense
8
Strength
8
Quickness
8
Leadership
6
Jump Shot
6
NBA Ready
7
Rebounding
8
Potential
8
Post Skills
6
Intangibles
7

NBA Comparison: Chris Andersen

Strengths: A long, fluid, bouncy bigman who runs the floor well and brings a solid amount of energy and effort … Not many players have the mobility he posseses along with a 6’11 frame with a 7’2 wingspan … His length and agility give him promise as a defender, rim runner and ally oop specialist at the next level … Excels at crashing the glass and converting put backs … Has shown steady improvement as a post scorer, upping his average from 11.8 ppg to 16.5 ppg between his Frosh and Soph seasons … Has improved in his ability to establish deep position, and does a good job of converting when he gets the ball on the block … Shows a willingness to fight for post position and grab rebounds … 8.7 rebounds is made more impressive considering he plays 28.6 min per game … Can get to rebounds out of his area due to his quick feet …  Has the exploiveness to jump right over many opponents and dunk on them two handed as his two foot leaping and ability to leap even with contact is very good …. Quality experience with two seasons of play in one of the strongest conferences (SEC) in the nation … Effective defender in the post who blocks a solid amount of shots 2.0 per game … Does a good job of drawing fouls and getting to the line (over 6 attempts per game) …

Weaknesses: A below average shooter … Lacks touch on his shot, and it shows on his finishes around the basket as well as his inability to face up and make shots on a consistent basis … Form on his shot is decent, but he just doesn’t seem to have a great natural touch to his shot … Release is more arms and not enough wrist action …Not the most efficient of offensive players. Averages below 60% on free throws through his college career, though his percentage improved slightly from 53% to 58% between his freshman and sophomore seasons …  Has some work to do defensively as he plays a little too upright and struggles when forced into checking small quicker guards on the perimeter … Has a high center of gravity and gets knocked off balance easily … Lacks great vision and passing skills, averaging just 0.8 assists per game … There is some question as to how well his skill set translates to today’s NBA. He lacks great shooting ability (at this point) in order to spread the floor … May struggle some initially with the transition to the next level, due to his lack of offensive skill and polish … Confidence and mental toughness are improving but still a work in progress … Needs to continue to add strength and toughness … At 233 lbs, has gotten stronger, but can still be outmuscled and affected by physical play …

Outlook: Made a surprising decision to some to return for his sophomore year and continue to work on his game and enhance his draft stock. Likely did so with the improvement he has exhibited in his skillset and statistics … One of the best bigman athletes available for this year’s draft. His length and athleticism will allow him to stand out at the next level … At his best, Gafford evokes memories of Marcus Camby … Gafford’s length and fluidity is too formidable for many on the college level, but he will need to expand his skill set in order to find the same success at the next level. Expanding his shooting range, and adding some post moves will help his cause …

Notes: Born and raised in El Dorado, Arkansas … Came into college as a consensus top 50 recruit, ranked 33rd by Rivals, 47th by ESPN … Averaged 17.4 points, 16 rebounds, 7.7 blocks per game as a senior at El Dorado high school …

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