Danilo Gallinari serves up offensive versatility for OKC Thunder

Danilo Gallinari, OKC Thunder (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Danilo Gallinari, OKC Thunder (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Danilo Gallinari (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Go-to scoring

If not for his injuries which routinely keep him out 10-20 games per season, we’d all probably consider Gallinari as one of the most dangerous isolation scorers in the league. At 6’10” with fluid athleticism, a lethal pull-up jumper, and the ability to get to the free-throw line seemingly at will, there simply aren’t many players who can stay in front of him one on one; no matter who’s matched up against him, he has the tools to get whatever shot he wants.

Against smaller wings, he’s strong enough to throw his weight around and either bully them into the lane for an easy bucket or shoot right over them:

Against slower bigs, he’s a shifty ball-handler who can get them on their heels and blow right by them for a layup:

Even if there is someone who seemingly should have the tools to stay with him, he can still get whatever shots he wants. With such a quick release and such an innate ability to get defenders off-balance, he doesn’t even have to try that hard to destroy defenses in isolation. Perhaps it’s no wonder, then, that he was in the 69th percentile (nice) of isolation scorers last year.

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What’s more, he can get buckets in basically any situation. Case in point, in the pick-and-roll, he’s a deft scorer who can exploit mismatches and drain pull-up jumpers (92nd percentile). Spotting up, he can get trey’s off in the blink of an eye and blow by close-outs to collapse the defense (91st percentile).

In the post, he’s an imposing presence who can use slick footwork and an exceptionally high release to get whatever he wants (91st percentile). And in transition, he’s a dynamic weapon who can both hit trailer 3-pointer’s and finish off plays around the bucket (82nd percentile).

Without Paul George, there would’ve been a clear scoring vacuum that the team probably wouldn’t have filled in the best way – @Russell Westbrook – but with Gallo, they have one of the most versatile scorers in the NBA who can both take the scoring burden off Westbrook’s shoulders and give the team almost as many options as George did.