Name: Danilo Gallinari
Ranking: 42
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
2016-17 Regular Season General Stats: 18.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 44.7 fg%, 38.9 3pt%
2016-17 Regular Season Advanced Stats: 17.4 PER, 62.2 TS%, 6.8 WS, 2.9 OBPM, -2.1 DBPM, 1.5 VORP
The Breakdown
Simply put, Gallinari makes this list because of his sometimes-absurd ability to get a bucket.
When it comes to a pure-scoring threat, Gallo is probably amongst the premier wings in the NBA. His 39.9 percent shooting mark from deep is good for 5th amongst forwards who attempted at least 250 three pointers, ahead of brand names like Carmelo Anthony and Kawhi Leonard. Gallinari was heralded as one of the best shooting europeans of all time when he was coming into the league and while he might not be on a Dirk Nowitzki-tier, Gallo is certainly amongst the purest shooters in the game.
To dismiss Gallinari as a spot-up shooter would be wildly unfair and inaccurate, however. He has a great ability to hit the pull up jumper, as well as a surprising burst that can end in ferocious slams, just ask the Detroit Pistons. Think a less skilled, slightly less athletic Carmelo Anthony and if Gallinari were to have had the health luck that Melo has, it’s possible they’re a more commonly compared duo.
Gallinari doesn’t exactly earn his money on the defensive end, and that’s okay! It’s not like this guy is Isaiah Thomas and can’t physically play on that side of the ball. His length and athleticism help him stay in front of guys and while his defense isn’t necessarily a positive, it doesn’t have a world-ending effect on what his team is trying to do.
While he’s only 29-years-old and coming off his most complete season in the NBA, Gallinari still has plenty of questions to answer as he enters his first season as a Los Angeles Clipper.
For one, health remains a serious concern.
After eight years of NBA experience, Gallo has only played in more than 70 games twice, most recently in 2012-13, and once again saw those injuries derail his season last year, missing extended time for lingering groin and knee injuries. He has suffered a torn ACL and torn meniscus in the past and with that in mind, one has to question his ability to stay on the floor. After all the best ability is availability, and that has been perhaps the most consistent achilles heel for Gallo. In fact, I have no doubt that he would be higher on this list had injuries not consistently put a damper on his talent.
Gallinari is finally the hybrid wing scorer that Doc Rivers and the Clippers have been looking for, and while it sadly comes immediately after Chris Paul’s departure, Gallo should be more than capable of lighting it up in LA. Alongside Blake Griffin and Milos Teodisic, expect plenty of highlight plays from Gallinari, so long as he’s on the floor.
