Danilo Gallinari was arguably LA’s preseason MVP, and assuming he stays healthy, there’s a chance that he earns the same honors in the regular season.
In four preseason games, Gallo averaged 17.3 points on 43 percent shooting from three-point range in just 21.3 minutes per game. Now, obviously it is just preseason, and the competition is going to be much more difficult come Wednesday. However, this is a promising sign from Gallinari, who appeared in just 21 games last season and shot a career low 32 percent from three-point land.
Health has always been Gallinari’s biggest weakness. When he plays, he’s good for 15 points every night. The thing is, he’s only played more than 70 games twice in his nine-year career, and less than 50 games four times.
His biggest strength, on the other hand, is his ability to score from all over the court. There are very few spots that are out of Gallinari’s range, and it doesn’t help opposing teams that he’s an 87 percent career shooter from the free throw line.
If Gallo can stay healthy, the one-two punch delivered from he and Tobias Harris will be lethal. It’s just a big if.