OKC Thunder: Danilo Gallinari contract and season grades

Highlights

Gallinari had three double-doubles over the course of the 2019-200 season. The good thing about a Gallinari double-double is that he plays big when he gets them and by that I mean it is not a ten-point/ten rebound effort.

All three of his double-doubles saw Gallinari score more than 20 points. He had 23 points and 11 rebounds in the win against the New Orleans Pelicans in December. He then again had 23 points and 11 rebounds in the first January win over the Houston Rockets.

In the later January matchup against the Rockets, Gallinari had 25 points and 13 rebounds. This second time they beat the Rockets which showed that as a rule, when Gallinari produced, the Thunder came away with the win.

Another incredible highlight was when he scored 27 points against the Miami Heat in their January matchup. January was a good month for Gallinari. He went an impressive 7-of-12 from deep and had six rebounds and four assists. This was one of only eight losses in 27 games for the Thunder where Gallinari scored 20 points or more.

However, for me, the individual highlight which impressed me the most was actually a defensive one. It was the New Year’s Eve match against the Dallas Mavericks and the game had been tough all night. On the last possession, Luka Doncic went one on one against Gallinari.

As the play unfolded it looked like Doncic, who scored 35 points for the night, was going to beat Gallinari. As it happened the Thunder power forward stayed in front of Doncic, affected the shot, and helped the Thunder get the win. A lot of plays like this get overlooked during the season, this one was huge.