The Landlord, Go-Go Gadget Gafford. Official Daniel Gafford Thread

[BearlyBallin]

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[Dolevi]

This guy changed your whole season. What a steal and what a great player.

[pancakes3]

Between RoLo and Gafford, we do have a bit of a Duncan/Robinson situation.

When being sarcastic it helps to use green font.

I would be curious if we could run Gafford/TB for stretches as twin towers. Bryant has the range to pull it off.

[9 and 20]

Nice article from Thomas Boswell on the Wizards' three-headed center - https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/05/02/daniel-gafford-robin-lopez-alex-len-washington-wizards/

Honestly, Gafford has helped turned this team's fortunes around. Even with Westbrook playing out of his mind like he has been, if it were only Len and Lopez in the middle (or with Pasecniks, lol), I don't think we'd be playing nearly this well.

[dobrojim]

Was going to mention the same article.

Boz mentions that having 3 players who share time more or less equally at a position
is a bit of a rarity in the NBA. Perhaps part of the reason it works for us is they have
slightly different skill sets and Brooks (will give credit here) has shown the ability
to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses in how he has used them.
Boz points out that per 36 their closest doppelganger is Gobert! And we're paying peanuts
for them or in Gafford's case, to acquire. Speaking of which is TBJ hurt? He's not showing
up in boxscores. Neither is Wagner.

[dckingsfan]

Was going to mention the same article.

Boz mentions that having 3 players who share time more or less equally at a position
is a bit of a rarity in the NBA. Perhaps part of the reason it works for us is they have
slightly different skill sets and Brooks (will give credit here) has shown the ability
to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses in how he has used them.
Boz points out that per 36 their closest doppelganger is Gobert! And we're paying peanuts
for them or in Gafford's case, to acquire. Speaking of which is TBJ hurt? He's not showing
up in boxscores. Neither is Wagner.

Troy Brown Jr is indeed injured. It couldn't have come at a worse time for him as Zach LaVine's injury would have given him substantial PT. Wagner was waived.

[BearlyBallin]

Was going to mention the same article.

Boz mentions that having 3 players who share time more or less equally at a position
is a bit of a rarity in the NBA. Perhaps part of the reason it works for us is they have
slightly different skill sets and Brooks (will give credit here) has shown the ability
to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses in how he has used them.
Boz points out that per 36 their closest doppelganger is Gobert! And we're paying peanuts
for them or in Gafford's case, to acquire. Speaking of which is TBJ hurt? He's not showing
up in boxscores. Neither is Wagner.

Troy Brown Jr is indeed injured. It couldn't have come at a worse time for him as Zach LaVine's injury would have given him substantial PT. Wagner was waived.

Mo Wagner is with the Magic now. He played 34 minutes vs the Grizzlies, 24 pts and 5 reb.

Watch on YouTube

[dckingsfan]

Was going to mention the same article.

Boz mentions that having 3 players who share time more or less equally at a position
is a bit of a rarity in the NBA. Perhaps part of the reason it works for us is they have
slightly different skill sets and Brooks (will give credit here) has shown the ability
to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses in how he has used them.
Boz points out that per 36 their closest doppelganger is Gobert! And we're paying peanuts
for them or in Gafford's case, to acquire. Speaking of which is TBJ hurt? He's not showing
up in boxscores. Neither is Wagner.

Troy Brown Jr is indeed injured. It couldn't have come at a worse time for him as Zach LaVine's injury would have given him substantial PT. Wagner was waived.

Mo Wagner is with the Magic now. He played 34 minutes vs the Grizzlies, 24 pts and 5 reb.

What! (Chant starts - MVP, MVP...)

[payitforward]

Happy to see Moe do well -- a nice kid.

[badinage]

According to new reporting from Chase Hughes, Sheppard had Gafford at No. 23 on his draft board in 2019.

He was picked, what, no. 49?

So, if true, then TS correctly identified a first-round talent that other teams missed.

[Frichuela]

According to new reporting from Chase Hughes, Sheppard had Gafford at No. 23 on his draft board in 2019.

He was picked, what, no. 49?

So, if true, then TS correctly identified a first-round talent that other teams missed.

Then it was unfortunate as we ended up acquiring a 2nd round pick at 42 selecting Schofield (Gafford was selected at 38).

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

According to new reporting from Chase Hughes, Sheppard had Gafford at No. 23 on his draft board in 2019.

He was picked, what, no. 49?

So, if true, then TS correctly identified a first-round talent that other teams missed.

Then it was unfortunate as we ended up acquiring a 2nd round pick at 42 selecting Schofield (Gafford was selected at 38).

Man, take another look at the draft!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_NBA_draft

44 Bol Bol
45 Isaiah Roby
46 Talen Horton-Tucker
48 Terence Mann

Each of those guys is as good as people after the first half the lottery and that same here. Same with Gafford. All of them could’ve been lottery picks in hindsight.

[9 and 20]

What's up with Gafford's minutes? He has played over 25 minutes a handful of games since he's been here, but most games it's 15 or so. Is he nursing an injury that maybe has felt worse after those games with more minutes? He's played in 20 games since he's been here and we've only lost 5 of them.

[FAH1223]

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[nate33]

According to new reporting from Chase Hughes, Sheppard had Gafford at No. 23 on his draft board in 2019.

He was picked, what, no. 49?

So, if true, then TS correctly identified a first-round talent that other teams missed.

Then it was unfortunate as we ended up acquiring a 2nd round pick at 42 selecting Schofield (Gafford was selected at 38).

Man, take another look at the draft!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_NBA_draft

44 Bol Bol
45 Isaiah Roby
46 Talen Horton-Tucker
48 Terence Mann

Each of those guys is as good as people after the first half the lottery and that same here. Same with Gafford. All of them could’ve been lottery picks in hindsight.

Bol Bol hasn't done anything. He has played just 145 minutes this season while not rebounding at all and posting an on/off differential of -33 points per 100 possessions. Not a typo. You have to do more than block shots to help your team.

Roby hasn't done much either. He is getting minutes and posting some raw numbers because he is playing on a horrible, tanking team. But his on/off differential is -5.9, his on/court +/- is -14.4. He rebounds pretty well, but doesn't stretch the floor or score with efficiency, he turns the ball over a lot, and basically makes a really bad team even worse when he is on the floor. I guess his production isn't all that dissimilar to Hachimura, except that Hachimura is playing heavy minutes on a team that is trying, and he doesn't hurt the team when he is on the floor. It's hard to say how Roby would fare on a better team. Would less defensive attention allow him to thrive? Or would his weaknesses be magnified because they mattered more to a team trying to win?

THT is like a poor man's Troy Brown without the rebounding. He can't play off ball (shoots 27% from 3-point range) and if you run plays through him, he is too turnover prone and inefficient to have it make sense. He is still really young though (20 years old). If he can figure out how to shoot, maybe there's some hope he can thrive in a lower usage role.

Terence Mann is good.

[Frichuela]

The key question here is why is Scotty only playing Gafford 17.7 mins a game? In that timespan, he is committing 2.0 personal fouls (or 4.0 per 36 mins). So he is not playing limited minutes because of foul trouble. His numbers with us have been outstanding, per 36 mins he is averaging 20 points, 11.6 reb, 3.8 blocks and 1.4 steals! This is elite center production. He is also passing the eye test, deterring so many points at the rim. So why is Brooks playing him less than 18 mins a game??

Is it a) because of conditioning/some obscure injury we don’t know about or b) because Scotty has to play López and Len regardless of (relative) production?

I am concerned the answer is b)…I hope I’m wrong!

[nate33]

The key question here is why is Scotty only playing Gafford 17.7 mins a game? In that timespan, he is committing 2.0 personal fouls (or 4.0 per 36 mins). So he is not playing limited minutes because of foul trouble. His numbers with us have been outstanding, per 36 mins he is averaging 20 points, 11.6 reb, 3.8 blocks and 1.4 steals! This is elite center production. He is also passing the eye test, deterring so many points at the rim. So why is Brooks playing him less than 18 mins a game??

Is it a) because of conditioning/some obscure injury we don’t know about or b) because Scotty has to play López and Len regardless of (relative) production?

I am concerned the answer is b)…I hope I’m wrong!

When I watch, it really looks like Gafford plays so damn hard that he has a hard time staying on the floor for long stints. I can see how that limits his total minutes.

That said, his minutes shouldn't be limited all the way down to 17.7 per game. Brooks really needs to get him two stints of play per half, not just one. Have him play a 6 minute shift at the start and finish of each half, with Lopez and Len splitting the 12 minutes in between.

Maybe even try and play him 3 stints. Go 4 minutes Gafford, 6 minutes Len, 4 minutes Gafford, 6 minutes Lopez, 4 minutes Gafford. Repeat in the 2nd half. That gets Gafford 24 minutes while never having him play more than 4 minutes in a row. He could sprint up and down the court like a maniac and not worry about fatigue. It would drive opposing centers crazy.

[tontoz]

My guess is knee tendonitis. He is healthy enough to play but not healthy enough to play big minutes on a regular basis.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Then it was unfortunate as we ended up acquiring a 2nd round pick at 42 selecting Schofield (Gafford was selected at 38).

Man, take another look at the draft!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_NBA_draft

44 Bol Bol
45 Isaiah Roby
46 Talen Horton-Tucker
48 Terence Mann

Each of those guys is as good as people after the first half the lottery and that same here. Same with Gafford. All of them could’ve been lottery picks in hindsight.

Bol Bol hasn't done anything. He has played just 145 minutes this season while not rebounding at all and posting an on/off differential of -33 points per 100 possessions. Not a typo. You have to do more than block shots to help your team.

Roby hasn't done much either. He is getting minutes and posting some raw numbers because he is playing on a horrible, tanking team. But his on/off differential is -5.9, his on/court +/- is -14.4. He rebounds pretty well, but doesn't stretch the floor or score with efficiency, he turns the ball over a lot, and basically makes a really bad team even worse when he is on the floor. I guess his production isn't all that dissimilar to Hachimura, except that Hachimura is playing heavy minutes on a team that is trying, and he doesn't hurt the team when he is on the floor. It's hard to say how Roby would fare on a better team. Would less defensive attention allow him to thrive? Or would his weaknesses be magnified because they mattered more to a team trying to win?

THT is like a poor man's Troy Brown without the rebounding. He can't play off ball (shoots 27% from 3-point range) and if you run plays through him, he is too turnover prone and inefficient to have it make sense. He is still really young though (20 years old). If he can figure out how to shoot, maybe there's some hope he can thrive in a lower usage role.

Terence Mann is good.

I’ve seen Bol Bol before his injury. I’ll go by what I saw. His game is similar to that if Kristaps Porzingis. You’re right about his sparse production but I believe he’s simply buried behind Jokic. Probably gets killed in practice confidence wise, too. I think he needs to be traded.

(A lot of bigger guys are underperforming from draft expectations. Wendell Carter Jr., Marvin Bagley Jr, Harry Giles.)

THT is part of why the Lakers are great defensively.

[queridiculo]

Len has been getting killed on the pick and roll all game, not sure why Brooks continues to stick with him.