Washington Wizards: Daniel Gafford has been better than advertised

Daniel Gafford and his future with the Washington Wizards

Daniel Gafford is doing all of this for the Washington Wizards at just 22 years old. He still has two years left on his rookie deal after this season.

This makes him the perfect player to have in DC whether they continue with the Russ/Beal pairing or if they decide it is time for a rebuild.

The Wizards have long struggled to find consistent center play (shoutout Marcin Gortat) and now find themselves with a pair of young centers (Gafford and Thomas Bryant) who could provide quality minutes at the five for seasons to come.

Thomas Bryant will return next season from an ACL injury and is still just 23. Having a quality shooting/scoring five to pair with a defensive-minded lob threat is the perfect recipe for thunder and lightning next season in DC.

Although DG may never become an overpowering All-Star Center, he has shown not only that he can be an impactful player, but that he can provide the exact impact the Wizards have desperately needed for years.

Years ago, John Wall was very vocal about wanting to play with an athletic lob threat that would be a compliment his play style. Although Wall may not be here any longer, and the problem may have persisted for a couple of months after he left, it looks like the Wizards may have finally been able to fill this void.

A rim running lob threat and a defensive difference-maker is exactly what the Wizards have needed, and it is exactly what they have gotten from Daniel Gafford.