Chicago Bulls: 2019 NBA Draft grades

No. 38 pick: Daniel Gafford

Two years ago, the Bulls were on the board at No. 38. However, they opted to send that pick (Jordan Bell) to the Golden State Warriors for $3.5 million. This time around, they held on to their selection, taking Daniel Gafford out of Arkansas.

During his sophomore campaign with the Razorbacks, Gafford was fourth in the SEC in scoring with 16.9 points per outing and he finished second in the conference in rebounding with 8.7 rebounds per contest. He shot an efficient 66 percent from the field, placing him first in the SEC and sixth overall in the NCAA. He also got to the free throw line six times per outing, which accounted for a quarter of the Razorbacks’ attempts.

In addition to what he brings to the mix from a scoring and rebounding standpoint, Gafford also earned an All-SEC defensive team selection and finished fifth in the SEC in blocks with two per contest. The flip side of the narrative is Gafford isn’t an effective scorer outside of the paint.

In fact, most of his scoring comes by way running to the rim in transition and being a good lob finisher. What most Bulls fans are aware of is the fact that there is already a player on the roster that has a similar skill-set: Cristiano Felicio, who hasn’t fared too well after signing a multi-year contract two seasons ago.

Another area that Gafford needs to improve in is his free throw shooting, as he shot just 59.1 percent from the charity stripe. Despite some of the flaws in his game, the pick was well received by some Bulls fans.

Overall, Gafford is a decent rim protector, and if he can round out his game from an offensive standpoint, the Bulls will have another big man who can provide some scoring punch and defensive prowess off the bench.

Grade: C+