Why Danilo Gallinari Will Be Terrific Fit In Celtics’ Rotation
It appears the Boston Celtics will make their first signing of free agency by reportedly bringing in Danilo Gallinari on the mid-level exception.
That signing isn’t official yet with Gallinari still needing to be released by the San Antonio Spurs — an expected move after he was traded there from the Atlanta Hawks earlier this week — but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Gallinari’s preferred landing spot is Boston.
Adding Gallinari to an already talented roster which made a run all the way to the NBA Finals makes a ton of sense. Since losing out on the NBA title, Celtics coach Ime Udoka and president of basketball operations Brad Stevens told reporters the team had two specific needs that had to be addressed: More bench scoring and added wing depth.
Gallinari, 33, will check both of those boxes for the Celtics.
Gallinari can provide instant scoring off the bench, tallying 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in a reserve role for the Hawks last season. Gallinari’s biggest asset is his long-range shooting, which will serve as a key benefit for the Celtics. In three out of the last four seasons, Gallinari has shot at least 40% from 3-point range and was at 38.1% on 4.5 attempts last year.
After Derrick White, Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard combined for a mere nine points over the last two games of the Finals, Gallinari will be a welcomed sight that Udoka can use off the bench.
Gallinari, standing at 6-foot-10 and 233 pounds, can give the Celtics additional wing scoring as well, which can lessen the burden on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to carry the offensive load at times.
It has felt that the Celtics have been linked to Gallinari for years and finally getting him to Boston is a solid move to start free agency. But as Stevens and the Celtics showed, they weren’t ready to just stop there.
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