Washington Wizards center Daniel Gafford is in concussion protocol after suffering a head-to-head collision with Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart. Washington is coming off a loss to the 4-win Pistons this past Monday 129-117 and will be without Gafford when they face the New York Knicks (23-17) on Thursday evening.
Gafford averages 10.4 points per game along with 7.6 rebounds (leads team), respectively. Overall, the Wizards have many flaws but their most prominent issue is their lack of rebounding. Washington ranks dead last in the category by only grabbing 39.4 rebounds per game and only 10.7 contested rebounds, respectively.
The loss of Gafford is detrimental for the Wizards as they prepare to do battle against Knicks big men Julius Randle (9.2 rebounds per game) and Isaiah Hartenstein (8.3 rebounds per game) in the trenches.
The Game Plan for Washington Without Gafford
Luckily for the Wizards, they recently made a solid trade with Detroit this past week. Washington sent forwards Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala to the Pistons in exchange for Isaiah Livers and former first-round pick Marvin Bagley III along with future draft considerations.
Gallinari is an aging role player who averaged 14.8 minutes per game. As for Muscala, he didn’t contribute much either as he heads to his seventh team in his 11-year career. Fortunately for Washington, they received two young big men who bring high energy.
Marvin Bagley is excited to be in D.C. and says he can be an effective rebounder, scorer and disruptor with high energy on the Wizards.
“I just want to win, man.” pic.twitter.com/p8dVEY3BgK
— Bijan Todd (@bijan_todd) January 17, 2024
Since Gafford is out for Thursday’s contest, it makes sense for head coach Wes Unseld Jr. to start the former 2018 second-overall draft pick. Bagley III stands at 6-foot-10, 235 Ibs and can bang with other solid big men in the league. It’s fair to say Bagley III hasn’t lived up to this draft selection, but this is a chance for him to start fresh and perhaps tap into his potential. Bagley III averaged only 18.4 minutes per game with the Pistons. He is also averaging a career-low in rebounds per game (4.5). Bagley III played behind 2022 13th pick Jalen Duren (29.8 min per game) and Stewart (30.9 min per game) while in Detroit. Fortunately, the 24-year-old seems optimistic and should expect to have a bigger contribution in D.C.
Livers stands at 6-7, 232 Ibs and will reunite with Jordan Poole as they were teammates at the University of Michigan. The former second-round pick in the 2021 NBA draft is averaging 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and shoots 34.5 percent from the field, respectively. The 25-year-old forward averaged 21.8 minutes per game during his tenure in Detroit, respectively. Livers probably isn’t expected to be a prominent contributor, but he adds length and is a solid team defender.
The Last Word on The Wizards with Gafford in Concussion Protocol
Bagley III isn’t much of a defender but he can be a solid contributor offensively and perhaps help the rebounding woes in Washington. If Livers can stay healthy (missed 15 straight games early in season) and start hitting shots consistently he can be a prominent piece for Washington. Livers shot 42.2 percent from three-point range his rookie year (2021-2022), but that average declined the seasons that followed (36.5% in 2022 and 28.6 % this season). Washington obviously isn’t in contention this year, but let’s see how the Wizards will fare while Gafford is in concussion protocol.
