Daniel Gafford needs to stay out of foul trouble for the Washington Wizards.
Slowing down Joel Embiid is a noble goal. Of course, he needs to be contested. He’s the best big man in the East. But if there’s anything we learned from game one, it’s that the three-headed monster approach of Alex Len, Robin Lopez, and Daniel Gafford won’t do much to hinder him enough offensively in this series. The only thing that’s really stopping Embiid is if Embiid gets into foul trouble.
That’s why Scott Brooks needs to keep his most disruptive big guy on the floor as much as possible: Daniel Gafford. It’s baffling why he continues to start Len. Gafford needs more minutes, so he can keep doing Daniel Gafford things. Lobs, blocks, active hands, effort on the defensive glass. All of those things have become synonymous with Gafford. But with that comes the responsibility of smarter play.
Good things happen when Gafford gets more time. I don’t need to go into the numbers or the efficiency ratings. He just makes things happen and is a momentum-shifter. Regardless if he gets more minutes or not in game two, he needs to stay out of foul trouble, or the Wizards are dead on arrival. Gafford cannot let his pride as a rim protector and the bright lights of playoff basketball cloud his judgment on the defensive end. Plus, Embiid has over 40 pounds on him.