2019 NBA Mock Draft: Tankers beware
Daniel Gafford. 11. player. 27. . C. Arkansas
After an exciting freshman season that saw him rise from anonymity into lottery consideration at Arkansas, Gafford is a good bet to go at least this high next year.
Gafford produced 21 points and 11 rebounds per 40 minutes, in addition to 3.8 blocks and one steal. He isn’t just an athlete — he brings an innate understanding of how to protect the rim and the instincts to pull it off. Arkansas’ defense was five points better per 100 possessions when Gafford was on the court, though it was atrocious on the whole last year.
An interesting part of next season for Gafford will be how the Razorbacks play without stud guard Daryl Macon, and whether Gafford’s decision to return to school was influenced by increased offensive opportunity. He flirted with a herky-jerky post game that most young bigs don’t even try in college, displaying upper body control and finishing ability ahead of his age.
He will be in a similar position to rise this year as he did during the 2017-18 season, but in this case it will be from the back of the lottery to possibly the top 5 or 10 picks overall. This year’s draft was bloated with bigs, the 2019 class is more heavily populated by wings.
Gafford could be a name to watch.