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Chicago Bulls: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason

By James D. Tillman III

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 13: Adam Mokoka #20, Coby White #0 of the Chicago Bulls and Peter Jok #67 of the Orlando Magic watch the game on July 13, 2019 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 13: Adam Mokoka #20, Coby White #0 of the Chicago Bulls and Peter Jok #67 of the Orlando Magic watch the game on July 13, 2019 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Selecting Daniel Gafford at No. 38

The last time the Bulls had the 38th overall pick was back in 2017. That selection was Jordan Bell. Instead of keeping that pick, the Bulls opted to send him to the Golden State Warriors for $3.5 million in cash. This time around, the Bulls selected Daniel Gafford from the University of Arkansas with the 38th pick.

During his sophomore campaign with the Razorbacks, Gafford was fourth in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per contest. Also, his 8.9 rebounds per outing was the second-highest mark in the conference.

Gafford shot a super-efficient 66.0 percent from the field and attempted 6.0 free throws per contest, which accounted for more than a quarter of Arkansas’ attempts from the charity stripe. While Gafford proved to be a capable scorer and rebounder, he was no slouch on the defensive end of the court either.

He finished third in the SEC with 2.0 blocks per contest and ranked fifth in defensive rating. As a result, Gafford became just the second player in Razorback history to be named first-team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive in the same season.

https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1147519319565164544

The one negative about Gafford has to do with the fact that he hasn’t proven that he can be an effective scorer outside of the painted area. For example, he attempted just 16 shots outside of the paint last season. On top of that, Gafford didn’t attempt a single 3-point shot despite the fact he logged 1,700 minutes during his collegiate career.

During Summer League play, Gafford put up respectable numbers, averaging 13.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 24.9 minutes per contest. Unfortunately, although he did shoot 68.3 percent from the field, most of his shot attempts came by way of dunks and layups, further cementing the sentiment of him not being much of a threat away from the rim.

Despite the lack of an outside game though, Gafford can run the floor and is an above-average finisher around the rim. Once he adds a mid-range jumper to his arsenal, he will be a tough cover for opposing teams.

Grade: B

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