"He's bought into ball movement": Danilo Gallinari leading Nuggets' effort to play more team-oriented basketball

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Danilo Gallinari has always been an offensive force and dynamic weapon on the basketball court.

At 6-foot-10, the quick and coordinated swingman can score from anywhere on the floor. Last season he averaged a career-high 19.5 points and 5.3 rebounds as the Nuggets’ No. 1 option on practically every offensive possession.

Throughout 2015-16 year, Gallinari scored most of his points in isolation situations or from the line. 18.9 percent of the possessions used by the 29-year-old last year were of the isolation variety.

In those situations he was fairly efficient. The .85 points per 100 possessions he averaged on ISO’s last year ranked eighth in the league behind other offensive machines like James Harden Carmelo Anthony, Jamal Crawford, Julius Randle, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Jahlil Okafor.

However, this preseason was a different story for the rangy forward. The Nuggets new-look frontcourt with Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic has ushered in a new brand of basketball in Denver that features more ball movement and a free-flowing mentality that was lacking last season.

Over Denver’s eight preseason games, Gallinari has only logges two isolations possessions, according to Synergy. That’s a staggering drop off from his rate last season but represents the direction the Nuggets are trying to head on the offensive end of the floor. Denver’s new-found look has transformed Gallinari’s game into a hyper-efficient scoring wing.

“It speaks to his ability to get to the foul line and shoot at a very high percentage,” Malone said of Gallinari’s efficiency. “He’s averaging so many points and he’s takes like seven shots a game so he’s shooting at a very high clip. I think one thing he’s done a really good job in of this preseason, I think last year, he got caught over dibbling and holding a lot. This year we haven’t had that. The ball is moving its finding him he’s taking his shot. We put him in the post he’s a matchup nightmare for most teams and give him credit because he’s bought into ball movement and being hard to guard. He shows you that you can put a lot of points on the board without taking 15 dribbles a possessions, and thats something that we can definitely all learn from.”

Here’s two Gallinari ISO’s from last season. When the Nuggets needed a bucket, they put their best scorer on the wing, and pretty much told him to go to work. The results were generally good.

With the twin towers lineup, driving lanes are a little different and Denver is trying to play through their bigs rather than Gallinari on the wing. Through eight preseason games Gallinari was still able to generate good looks while operating within the flow of the offense.

Most of Gallinari’s looks from the perimeter this preseason came in catch-and-shoot situations or off of other actions within the confines of Denver’s offense. The occasional ISO’s will still be there, along with the post ups, where the 225-pound wing turns and attacks the rim like a bull charging towards a Matador’s capote. But Denver wants Gallinari to get most of his buckets and to the line within their free-flowing, up-tempo offense.

“That’s something we’ve been working on all preseason, it’s something we’re doing much better than last year and we have to keep doing that because thats the best way to play basketball,” Gallinari said of relying less on isolations and getting more of his baskets within the offense. “Everybody can get looks, everybody is involved in the offense, everybody is happy, we just got to keep doing it night in and night out.”

Playing with two big men in Jokic and Nurkic who have basketball IQ’s rarely seen in second and third-year bigs and who also both entered the league with an uncanny ability to pass the ball makes playing this way on offense enjoyable. Players like sharing the court with the two bigs because they look to get others involved.

“Hopefully it’s going to be the same in the regulars season,” Gallinari said about the efficiency he’s found on offense during the preseason. “My body feels good and also my teammates are finding me at the right time, at the right moment.”

One reason Denver is looking to play this way is that they’re a year older. Emmanuel Mudiay, who’s only 20-year-old, has 68 games under his belt. As does Nikola Jokic, who saw time in 80 games last season. Gary Harris is a year older, Jusuf Nurkic is coming off an outstanding preseason and is in the best shape of his life, and Denver also gets Wilson Chandler back who missed all of last season after undergoing hip surgery. Will Barton, Darrell Arthur, Kenneth Faried and Gallinari round out the foundation of a rotation that’s entering their second season together and ready to build off the groundwork they laid last year.

“Chemistry,” Gallinari said on what’s allowing the Nuggets to play this way. “We have a lot of young guys but also a lot of veterans that finally have the chance to play together. We have a lot more experience we have one more year on our shoulders. So I think as the chemistry improves the more experience we got and the more of a chance we have to play together.”