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

[TGW]

"Baby Deer Legs Syndrome"

[GoneShammGone]

Bumping this while we wait for WUJ to be fired.

Lets get some good vibes going by focusing a little on a guy who's having a successful season: Gafford!

Some highlights:
Career best FT%, rebounds per 36, steals per 36, assists per 36, turnovers per 36.
Still maintaining elite block numbers and efficiency.
Third on NBA.com screen assists per 36.
NBA.com has him at 12.9 shot contents per 36, right alongside AD, Myles Turner and Rudy Gobert.

Plus he is doing all this while playing the most minutes in his career (by more than 5 minutes per game!). Why is he playing more minutes? Is it because he finally reduced his fouling? Not really. He's collecting 4.8 fouls per 36, which is the highest since his rookie year. No it looks like WUJ just doesn't have anybody else to play at center, so he's forced to give Gaff more minutes. But Gaff has proved this year that he doesn't lack the stamina to play starter's minutes.

Overall he's upped his playing time, maintained his strengths, and added a bit to his game. And of course he brings effort and energy. He's one of the few Wizards I actually enjoy watching. Let's give him some credit!

Now the question is: is he part of the future? He is signed through the 25-26 season making about 14 million a year, after which he is an UFA. By 2026 I think he'll be worth more than that. Jarret Allen, for example, makes 20 million. I don't know that Gaff can guard guys on the perimeter as well as Allen, but I think he is in the ballpark. Of course, in a few years, the ability to guard stretch 5s like Wemby and Homgren will be even more important than now. Can Gaff do it? His lateral quickness is definitely a question mark.

Do you guys think he gets signed or extended here to be part of the Wizards competitive window? Or is he likely to be trade bait? Nic Claxton is probably a good comparison as well, so it will be interesting to see what he gets this summer.

[tontoz]

Yeah Gafford is having a strong year. Props to him

[DCZards]

Yeah…need to give The Landlord some love. Gaff is playing with energy and effort on both ends of the court.

[nate33]

Gafford has had a very good season. He is maintaining his normal production while playing 25% more minutes, most of them against starters. The per minute stats inflate his improvement a little bit though. The team is playing at a substantially higher pace this year. Going by per possession data, his scoring is down a bit from his last few seasons as a Wizard and his rebounding is unchanged. He has substantially improved in blocks, steals, assists and turnovers, however.

Gafford started slow this season, possibly due to that ankle injury. He was a little sub-par in his first 11 games. Since then, he has been pretty darn good. Here are his per 36 numbers for the first 11 and the last 16 games:

[DCZards]

Gaff also seems to be getting far fewer of those moving pick fouls this season. Those fouls were detrimental to his playing time and, imo, to his fire and enthusiasm.

[Halcyon]

I would love to keep him. He's a very low maintenance player and knows his role.