OKC Thunder: A look at the clutch time killers performances with new teams

Gallo helping Hawks soar:

It took a while for Danilo Gallinari to find his rhythm in Atlanta. Like many of the new Hawks, Gallo missed significant time due to injury appearing in only two games out of 14 to start the season.

When he returned to the hardwood there was an adjustment period as he searched for his shot and adapted to a bench role. Breaking down his season into segments offers insight. In the 10 games between January 2nd and February 10th, his production is rather anemic with 6.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and shot 33.3 percent from the perimeter.

In the next 10 game segment from February 12th to the 28th, the big man began to find his role but the Hawks were mired in a rough patch losing seven of 10 matches leading to Lloyd Pierce’s dismissal. Gallinari averaged 12. 5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and found his perimeter shot hitting with an efficiency of 40.4 percent

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/2/2021.

The big jump for Gallo coincided with Nate McMillan taking over as the head coach with his production improving to 15.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists connecting from the perimeter at a 42 percent efficiency.

Part of his success may be McMillan utilizing his services better, or it could the coincidence of Bogdan Bogdanovic returning to the court.

Gallo is fitting in as evidenced by his game-winning basket yesterday to beat the Spurs in overtime.

Ultimately, his overall production is down from last season which could simply be a factor of his reserve role and the depth of the Hawks. From the narrator’s perspective, there is still another level McMillan could unlock to capitalize on his all-around skill set.