Bobby Portis loved playing for the Bulls. He also consistently touted playing for the since-fired — and hired at St. John’s — Mike Anderson at Arkansas.

Daniel Gafford experienced the latter and began experiencing the former with a Tuesday workout at the Advocate Center. That Portis offered encouragement via social media after Thursday’s NBA draft brought a smile to the big man’s face.

“Just to have a guy like that on your side to be able to talk to them is always good because he’s been through it and he’s still going through it,” Gafford said Monday of Portis. “It helps you push yourself a lot more. I used to shape my game after Bobby before I went to Arkansas. I watched one game and I was a Bobby fan instantly.”

The Bulls were big enough fans of Portis’ play to offer him a multiyear extension last fall that Portis turned down. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer after the Bulls included him in the Otto Porter Jr. trade with the Wizards in February to shed Jabari Parker’s contract.

Portis, the Bulls’ 2015 first-round pick, averaged seven points, 5.4 rebounds and 17.8 minutes as a rookie in 62 games, including four starts.

“His spirit of who he was in the interview, at the pre-draft camp, to where he came in and worked out for us, it was a Bobby-like spirit,” coach Jim Boylen said of Gafford. “Competitive, toughness, take coaching, take correction, learn on the fly. We changed his free throw a little bit when he came in for the workout. He was able to pick it up, things like that.

“Bobby was great for us and a great kid. Daniel’s in that same mold, maybe at a different style of play, maybe at a different position. He adds to our vertical spacing and our length and our athleticism. The Arkansas program has been really good to us. Hopefully we can keep it going.”

Though Portis and Gafford play different positions, similar opportunity awaits Gafford. Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. project to start next season, but Gafford will have every chance to leapfrog Cristiano Felicio on a big-man depth chart that also will include one free-agent signing,

Gafford has drawn comparisons to the Rockets’ Clint Capela, which would be a high-end projection.

“Position-wise, I’m mainly a center,” Gafford said. “Sometimes I try to be a forward but I get ahead of myself a little bit.

“The Clint Capela comparision, I’ve been having that comparison ever since freshman year. I’ve watched his game a lot. I see similar aspects of our game. He does pick-and-roll situations, finishes around the basket, finishes through contact or at least tries to. He runs the floor like a deer. And he has built his game defense first and offense second.

“I wouldn’t say I would be the next Clint Capela. I would say I’m the next Daniel Gafford because I’m still working on myself.”

He’s also working on his baseball knowledge. The affable Gafford shared that his “pinch-me” moment came when his agent told him he would be throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game Friday.

But Gafford, unaware that Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is also chairman of the White Sox, didn’t know if it was a Cubs or Sox game (it’s Sox-Twins).

“I haven’t watched a game of baseball at all, so be patient with me,” Gafford said, smiling.