How OKC Thunder can capitalize on Danilo Gallinari desire to join contender

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Danilo Gallinari, OKC Thunder Fantasy Flash (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Gallo will be invested in producing:

This season offers a bit of a quandary for Gallo. While the OKC Thunder could surprise and almost emulate what the LA Clippers did last season it’s unlikely they’ll vie for a playoff seed. Even if the team becomes the Cinderella story of the West, landing on that playoff ladder will likely be as a seventh or eighth seed. And, let’s be realistic here — that is more of a long shot than a possibility.

Even if the team does pull off a Clippers or Brooklyn Nets type season odds are the preference would be to have a similar season to the Sacramento Kings or New Orleans Pelicans. Read: Be competitive enough for the youngsters to experience winning, but not competitive enough to lose out on high draft picks.

Per Game Table
Season	Tm	G	MP	FGA	FG%	3PA	3P%	2PA	2P%	eFG%	FTA	FT%	DRB	TRB	AST	PTS
2014-15	DEN	59	24.2	9.6	.401	5.1	.355	4.5	.453	.496	3.2	.895	3.2	3.7	1.4	12.4
2015-16	DEN	53	34.7	13.2	.410	4.5	.364	8.7	.434	.472	8.2	.868	4.3	5.3	2.5	19.5
2016-17	DEN	63	33.9	11.9	.447	5.1	.389	6.8	.491	.531	6.1	.902	4.5	5.2	2.1	18.2
2017-18	LAC	21	32.0	12.2	.398	5.3	.324	6.9	.455	.469	4.1	.931	4.4	4.8	2.0	15.3
2018-19	LAC	68	30.3	13.0	.463	5.5	.433	7.5	.484	.554	6.0	.904	5.3	6.1	2.6	19.8
Career		549	31.1	11.3	.425	5.0	.376	6.3	.464	.509	5.1	.871	4.1	4.9	2.0	15.9

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/4/2019.

The above chart represents Gallo’s output since returning from his ACL injury.

For Gallinari, that means his desire to be in the hunt for a championship isn’t going to happen this year with his current squad. Still, he’ll want to produce at a level to draw the attention of the teams who will be vying for that gold ball.

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