Daniel Gafford

Arkansas sophomore Daniel Gafford is going pro, head coach Mike Anderson announced on Monday (video link via Nikki Chavanelle of Rivals). Gafford, who is hiring an agent and forgoing his remaining college eligibility, won’t play for the Razorbacks in the NIT, per Anderson.

Gafford, a 6’10” center, projected as a mid-first-round pick in 2018’s draft, but elected to return to Arkansas after his freshman year rather than declaring for the draft. With 2019’s draft class not considered as deep as last year’s group, there was a belief that Gafford could improve his stock and potentially be a lottery pick with a strong season.

While Gafford improved his numbers in his second year as a Razorback, averaging 16.9 PPG and 8.6 RPG in 32 contests, his didn’t make the sort of major strides observers had hoped for. His stock has slipped a little, as he now projects as an early second-round pick, per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link).

As ESPN’s Mike Schmitz explains, Gafford isn’t a reliable play-maker or scorer yet, and his defensive fundamentals are still “a work in progress,” though his athleticism is tantalizing. The young big man ranks 35th overall on ESPN’s big board.

Viewed as a potential top-20 pick in the 2018 NBA draft, Arkansas big man Daniel Gafford has decided against declaring as an early entrant, he announced on Monday. After a solid freshman season with the Razorbacks, Gafford will return to the program for his sophomore year.

“Obviously this is great news for us,” Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson said. “He’s the centerpiece to what we are doing here, and this gives him the chance to build on the tremendous freshman year he had. Daniel is a special player and the sky is the limit for him.”

Gafford’s announcement came on the heels of reports from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com (Twitter links) indicating that the youngster was strongly leaning toward returning to school. Givony noted that 2018’s draft class is “loaded” with big men, suggesting that Gafford may have a better chance of standing out in a less stacked 2019 class.

In his first college season, Gafford averaged 11.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 2.2 BPG in just 22.6 minutes per contest for Arkansas. He’s viewed as an athletic center with exceptional physical tools, and was projected to be the 18th pick in Givony’s latest mock draft at ESPN.com. Instead, he’ll be a Razorback for at least one more year, perhaps eyeing a spot in the 2019 lottery.