Despite Recent Struggles, Gallinari Still Showing He's The Real Deal

New York Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni still considers Danilo Gallinari a rookie, and rightfully so. Even though the sharpshooting forward is in his second season, Gallinari has only played in 85 games after battling a back injury throughout his rookie campaign. That’s the equivalent of one full season and three playoff games.  

So is it really a surprise that Gallinari has hit somewhat of a “rookie wall” past the midway point of this season? Gallinari started the year off strong, becoming one of the league’s best three-point shooters along the way, but has since seen his offense flatten out a bit in the final stretch of the season.  

“I think what’s going on is he’s a 21-year-old rookie, and when you have a team that’s not real powerful everything is magnified,” D’Antoni said before the Knicks’ loss to Memphis on Saturday. “You want him to score 20 points and anchor a defense and win every game, but I don’t think that’s realistic right now for anybody. But I think he’s answered a lot of questions you would have.”  

Some of the question marks surrounding Gallinari when the Knicks made him the sixth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft were his defense and toughness. But those questions have since been answered. While his jumper has not been falling recently, he has stepped up on the defensive end and recorded a career-high four blocks in last Friday’s a win over the Wizards.  

“Now, just as a team and him individually, we need to incorporate him a little bit better with his offense,” D’Antoni added. “He’s been off his shot a little bit for whatever reason.”  

With five new players on the team after the Knicks made three trades at the league’s deadline over a week ago, Gallinari has been unable to adjust to his new teammates. In the five games since the roster overhaul that brought veteran scorers Tracy McGrady and Eddie house to New York, Gallinari has taken just 30 shot attempts and is averaging 7.2 points, over six points below his season average.  

Gallinari, who led the league in 3-pointers for most of the season and participated in the three-point contest during All-Star Weekend, has also made only two 3-pointers on 14 attempts over the previous five games. Gallinari didn’t reach double figure scoring numbers since the trades until McGrady sat the entire second half and played only 15 minutes on Saturday.  

“I don’t think it’s any (reason for) alarm,” D’Antoni said. “He’ll get better. He’ll get better this summer and do pretty well.”  

There is no question Gallinari will continue to get better despite his recent slump. He has shown signs of offensive greatness this season, hitting seven 3-pointers on opening night in Miami and scoring 26 or more five times. And, maybe more importantly, his back has not caused any problems since undergoing surgery toward the end of last season.  

Gallinari - along with forward Wilson Chandler – is considered the cornerstone for the franchise and the Knicks are willing to give the youngster time to develop. Gallinari has already drawn comparisons to Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, one of the league’s best offensive big men for over a decade. And when you compare Gallinari’s numbers over his short career – 11.2 points and 4.1 rebounds – he’s already ahead of where Nowitzki was during his rookie year when he averaged 8.2 and 3.4.  

Gallinari will have an opportunity to get his offense back on track when the Knicks visit LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. You can be sure the confident “rookie” wants to bring his best when playing against the Eastern Conference’s best team.