Gafford leaves Wizards vs. Celtics game with quad injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Wizards starting center Daniel Gafford was helped off the floor and into the locker room in the first half against the Celtics on Wednesday night with a right quad contusion. The severity is not yet known, but he was in obvious pain after colliding with Jaylen Brown when lunging to steal a pass.

Gafford, 23, will undergo an MRI on Thursday on his injured right quad, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Gafford has emerged as one of the Wizards’ best and most important players. They rewarded him with a three-year contract extension the day before the NBA regular season began. He was acquired last March in a trade from the Chicago Bulls.

Gafford had three points, four rebounds, a block and a steal before suffering the injury. Through three games this season, he is averaging 9.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.

The Wizards added a good deal of depth over the offseason at multiple positions, including at center with the acquisition of Montrezl Harrell. But one of their centers, Thomas Bryant, remains out until December as he recovers from a partially torn ACL.

That adds even more reason for them to hope Gafford will be okay.