Denver Nuggets final report card: Danilo Gallinari

Over the next few weeks, the BSN Nuggets staff will review the Nuggets season, player-by-player. We’ll look at their performance from 2015-16 and forecast what type of impact they’ll make next season. 

Reflecting on 2015-16

Up until Feb. 29 2016, when Danilo Gallinari tore two lateral ligaments and sprained a medial ligament, both in his left ankle which ended his season, the 27-year-old was enjoying possibly his healthiest and most productive year in Denver.

Gallinari had played in 53 of a possible 59 games, was averaging a career-high 19.5 points and posting solid rebounding and assist numbers for someone who was asked to be the focal point of a team’s offense throughout much of the year.

Gallinari embraced that role and drove the engine on that end of the floor.

Considering how young and inexperienced the Nuggets were this season, it’s no surprise that coach Michael Malone, in his first year on the job, kept things simple for his players. Whenever Gallinari was on the floor, you could predict a heavy dose of iso situations where Gallo found himself on the left or right wing, with an entire side of the floor cleared. When the shot clock was winding down, the Nuggets found Gallo, or when they needed a bucket at the end of games, odds were Gallinari would get at least a look.

The Nuggets put Gallinari in iso situations 18.9 percent of the time he was on the floor last season, good for the eighth-highest amount in the league behind the likes of James Harden, Carmelo Anthony, Jamal Crawford, Julius Randle, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Jahlil Okafor.

Those situations produced mixed results.

Per NBA.com, Gallinari scored just .85 points per possession in isolations this season, the lowest among those players listed above who didn’t play for the Los Angeles Lakers. That proved not to be the most efficient way to put the ball in the hoop, but Gallo did get to the free-throw line at a staggering rate of 20.2 percent, the highest mark in the league for players who had 150 or more isolation possessions this season.

On offense, the Nuggets were 3.5 points better per 100 possessions after Gallinari went down for the season than they were when he was playing, but don’t dismiss Gallo’s importance to this team on that end of the floor. He’s a calming influence out on the court, someone who can relieve a panicked Emmanuel Mudiay or Nikola Jokic with the shot clock winding down and get off a makeable shot, or bail the young Nuggets out when they sputtered around in the halfcourt for 20 seconds, trying to figure out how they wanted to execute that possession.

On defense, the Nuggets had roughly the same efficiency whether Gallinari was on the floor or the bench. He was matched up against the best wings in the Western Conference nightly and did an admirable job for someone who’s expending most of his energy on offense getting to the line.

Since Gallinari’s been in Denver, his production has unfortunately been dependent on his health, and with the Italian missing the last 23 games of the season, that storyline will carry over to next year. With the increased tread on his tires, I personally thought Gallinari might consider taking a summer off from international competition to let his body recover so he can come back at 100 percent for next season.

That doesn’t seem to be Gallo’s plan, as he revealed to La Gazetta last month that he does intend to don the Italian jersey this summer. Italy needs to win the Olympic qualifying tournament which takes place July 4-9 in Turin, Italy if they want a spot in the Olympic games in Rio which begin Aug. 5th. Greece figures to be their biggest threat in the six-team qualifying field.

Final report card grade: B-

Looking ahead to 2016-17

Gallinari was the subject of rumors around the trade deadline that linked him to the Boston Celtics, who reportedly heavily pursued Gallo once again. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has been fond of Gallinari for a while now, but didn’t bite on the Nuggets reported demand of two first rounders in exchange for the versatile wing. I wouldn’t be surprised if those rumors crept back up again as we get closer to the draft.

If Gallinari is in Denver for 2016-17, I’d once again expect him to start the season as the focal point of the Denver offense. This team will still be extremely young, inexperienced, and likely starting a second-year point guard, third-year shooting guard, and second-year center.

However, as the year progresses, I’d expect to see Mudiay take full command of the offense and we should see glimpses of the future in Denver. That future reads as heavy doses of Mudiay-Jokic pick and rolls, where Gallinari progresses into more of a secondary option than a primary one. Mudiay penetrating and kicking out to shooters like Gallinari, Gary Harris and Wilson Chandler will bring back shades of former point guard Ty Lawson distributing the ball. Nikola Jokic should also have much more involvement on the offensive end next season, primarily initiating the attack from the elbow and the low block.

Gallinari also had some revealing comments as the season wrapped up that signaled a bit of frustration with how this year developed in Denver.

“Coming to Denver, that’s all we talked about — championship and going to the championship. Playoffs was not even a problem. We knew that we were going to the playoffs every season. Especially going though the last season (with George Karl), where we break every record. When we were losing a game it was like a funeral — on the plane, on the bus, everywhere. That’s what we need to get back to. So I’m really tired of people talking about playoffs. We’ve got to start thinking about championships here in Denver.”

The clock is ticking on Gallo. He’s 27, will be 28 before next season starts and injuries are starting to take a toll on his body. He’s frustrated that Denver hasn’t gotten back to the playoffs since George Karl left and that’s understandable for a player who’s been a fixture in the league as long as he has.

Coincidently, Gallinari’s comments voicing his frustration about missing the postseason were backed up  a week later by general manager Tim Connelly to the Denver Post.

“But certainly we’re sick of not being in the playoffs,” Connelly said. “We’re done with that.”

Yet, Gallinari signed a two-year extension this past offseason, he knew what he was getting into. This rebuild wasn’t happening overnight, in fact, it’s progressing at a faster rate than most thought it would. He’s also made it known along with Chandler and Darrell Arthur, that he loves Denver and has admiration for an organization that is fond of him.

Let’s toast to a healthy Gallo, and many more game-clinching plays like this steal against the Golden State Warriors from earlier this season.