Daniel Gafford Saw Trade to Wizards as Opportunity to ‘Jumpstart' His Career

Gafford saw trade to Wizards as chance to ‘jumpstart’ his career originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Daniel Gafford might have just been the steal of the NBA’s trade deadline. He was shipped to Washington from Chicago along with Chandler Hutchison in a deal which sent Moe Wagner and Troy Brown Jr. to the windy city.

But before the big man arrived in the nation’s capital, the Bulls didn’t utilize Gafford’s full potential, at least in his view. Moving to the Wizards was something he saw as a golden chance.

“Once I got on the plane, it just clicked to me: this is a new opportunity, a new way to be able to jumpstart my career. Once I landed in Washington, it was boots to the ground,” Gafford said in a recent interview with Spencer Davies of BasketballNews.com.

He was willing to do whatever was needed of him to help pull the Wizards into playoff contention, which he has accomplished since his arrival.

“I had to come in and I had to let guys know, ‘I’m ready for whatever you guys give me, whatever time you give me on the floor, whatever position you'd be able to put me [in]. Throw me in the fire and I’m gonna cool it off,’” Gafford said. “So my mentality was just [to] get ready for work. Come out and do the thing that I've always been doing and just be better at it.”

Gafford’s flexibility has been a crucial element to Washington’s recent success. Since landing in D.C., Gafford has helped the Wizards to a 15-5 record in his 20 games while averaging 9.9 ppg and 5.7 rpg. On the offensive end, his lob-catching capabilities has been a breath of fresh air for the Wizards, who haven’t had a true lob threat in some time.

“Dunking for me, it’s therapeutic...I'll always want to try to tear down everything,” Gafford said. “‘Throw it to the moon and I’m gonna bring it back down.’ That was just my thing. And it had kind of stuck because I was just getting every lob that was thrown.”

Gafford isn’t shy about going toe-to-toe with some of the best post defenders in the league. Take Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen, for example:

Apart from rim-running, Gafford’s rebounding has helped the Wizards win crucial late-season games, including a 116-107 victory over the defending champion Lakers in late April. With Anthony Davis, Montrezl Harrell and other rebounding gods trying to muscle Gafford in the paint, the former Arkansas Razorback helped the Wizards outrebound Los Angeles 50-41.

“I just try to get in the best position to do my best when it comes to rebounding. There’s a lot of guys that are 10 times my size in this league. It’s kind of tough trying to push buildings, so I really just try to outsmart them with the energy I come out on the floor with,” Gafford said.

However, Gafford’s offense takes a back seat to his defensive abilities when it comes to the traits that wow D.C. fans. It seems as though whenever an opposing big man has an open lane for a dunk or layup, Gafford meets them at the rim, with Gafford coming out on top.

“I’m good at blocking shots, [but] at the same time, I can be able to contain the ball up at the key if I put my mind [to it],” Gafford said. “So that's main thing that I really want to get better at -- guarding all positions.” Pelicans star Zion Williamson experienced that firsthand:

Gafford might just be the X-factor that has lifted Washington into a probable spot in the play-in tournament. Once there, should the Wizards qualify, Gafford will surely be one of the players to watch closely as he comes off the bench to give Washington some oomph on both sides of the floor.