17. Daniel Gafford – Arkansas
Daniel Gafford is another surprise freshman who seems to have been overlooked. Not on my big board in November, he’s now firmly in the top-20 discussion. Gafford is right there with Mitchell Robinson, but is slightly ahead for a couple reasons. The obvious is one is he’s playing. We’re seeing him hang with and dominate for stretches against strong competition in the SEC and elsewhere.
On the season, in less than 23 minutes a night, he’s averaging 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. You can easily see what his per-40 numbers are like. A tremendous center who can block shots and play above the rim, the second edge he has on Robinson is his passing. Gafford has a lot of upside to unlock there. That’s the main reason he’s so high. He’s not just a shot-blocker and lob target.