Chicago Bulls rookie Daniel Gafford recorded a career-high 21 points on Monday in his first extended look of the season during a 115-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Prior to the game, Bulls head coach Jim Boylen said Gafford would see first-half minutes and the second-round pick took advantage of his opportunity. Gafford recorded 16 of his 21 points in the first half after converting on 8-of-9 shots from the field before halftime.
Gafford had previously logged just 12 minutes over four games this season and recently re-joined the Bulls after an assignment in the G League. The team recalled Gafford after Luke Kornet underwent surgery to address a sinus obstruction.
Gafford did the bulk of his work down in the paint, an area in which he thrives. Gafford was there to clean up missed shots from his teammates and also caught a number of lobs over defenders for easy buckets. He finished 10-of-12 from the field while he added five rebounds, including four on the offensive end, and two blocks in 20 minutes off of the bench.
With Kornet expected to miss at least a week of action, Gafford could continue to see an increased workload for the Bulls. Based on his performance on Monday, he could be in for more productive nights off of the bench.
The Bulls play next on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons.
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