Washington Wizards: Daniel Gafford has been better than advertised

Daniel Gafford: Instant Impact for the Washington Wizards

It didn’t take much time at all for Gafford to reward the Wizards for bringing him to the nation’s capital. The blazing hot Wizards are 10-1 (!!!) when Daniel Gafford plays this season. Through 11 games, he is averaging 11.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in about 18.5 minutes of action with the Wizards. Given how great Gafford has looked with the Wizards, it’s hard to see why the Bulls let him get away.

Outside of Gafford’s great personal numbers, the bigger impact has been what he has done to help out this team’s previously horrendous defense. A team that was ranked 26th in defensive rating at the trade deadline now ranks fourth since acquiring Gafford. The last month of lockdown defense has the Wizards with the 17th ranked defensive rating for the entire season.

Gafford has been a breath of fresh air on a team that looked very uninterested on defense before he arrived and it has been fun to see this team receive a nice shot in the arm. Having a young center who can bring it every night on the defensive end is crucial in today’s day and age. Daniel Gafford is exactly that so far during his time in DC. Gafford brings the energy, size, and defensive prowess this team has always needed. Since day one, his tenacious contests at the rim and hustle on the defensive end have helped out where the Wizards needed it the most.