Amongst the flurry of trade rumors that has Brad Stevens in stitches, there is a potential deal that will land Danilo Gallinari with the Boston Celtics. Gallinari may not quite be the transcendent talent that Danny Ainge has been looking for but he can immediately come in and be a top offensive option.
Gallinari’s offensive strengths fit perfectly into what Stevens has been looking for. Looking at Jae Crowder, the current starting small forward, he has clearly made an effort to cut out the mid range shots. Crowder had taken his offensive effectiveness to another level by never hesitating on his open threes but when that is not an option he is either looking for his teammates or driving to the rim.
Gallinari’s strengths are in those two areas. On overall shooting percentage of 41.2% is leaving a lot to be desired but could easily be improved in Stevens’ offense. Gallinari has been a solid three point shooter this year at 36.5% and he has been reliable at the rim shooting over 50%. The problems then come everywhere in between. Gallinari does not shoot over 40% anywhere between 3 and 16 feet of the rim. Gallinari already takes very few mid range shots making it clear that he will have no problem in the role of a three point shooter and great driver to the rim. Gallinari is also a phenomenal free throw shooter who has been getting to the line 7.9 times per game.
There is no doubting that Gallinari would be an immediate offensive boost and would be the most complete offensive forward on the team. Unfortunately, there are multiple problems in other areas, the first being the position he plays.
While the Celtics have their least amount of depth at the small forward position, they are rock solid in the starting unit. Crowder has been doing everything for them and the thought of him coming off the bench is unimaginable. Crowder has been one of the top offensive threats while being the most important defensive player. There is too much risk is taking Crowder out of the starting lineup but that does not make it impossible for Gallinari to have a spot.
Stevens has been incredibly creative with lineups this season and has inserted multiple combinations of three guard lineups. Throw in that other than Olynyk and Zeller and the Celtics do not have a seven footer and playing Gallinari at the four may not be impossible. Offensively, the Celtics could certainly make it work. Gallinari would not be much more undersized that most of the forwards on the Celtics and his ability to stretch the floor can be incredibly valuable at that position.
The problem then would come on the defensive end. The Celtics have been an elite defensive team all year long but one area they have been exposed in is the interior. The Celtics still lack a true rim protector and that has allowed top athletic offensive bigs to score at will against them. Playing Gallinari at the four would make things much worse. The Cletics’ bigs may not be rim protectors but they are still strong defenders.
Their core players all maintain a defensive rating that is not too far off of 100 and they find other ways to contribute. Gallinari would be putting a defensive liability on the floor. He has never had a defensive rating better than 107 and is all the way up to 110 this year.
Whether Gallinari played the three or the four he would be creating a great void in their defense. The Celtics cannot afford to have Crowder out of the starting lineup and even if the four and the five are more adaptable it is hard to imagine a combination of bigs that includes Gallinari that will provide the necessary interior defense.
Gallinari would give the a celtics a special offensive talent but there are too many potential problems for the Celtics to sacrifice anything significant in acquiring him. The Celtics could desperately use the three point shooting boost but with the way they have been playing lately it is hard to imagine the offense running better with Gallinari in there. Unfortunately, Gallinari has never been a great passer and even though he limits the turnovers he is not used to generating offense in a system like Boston’s.
The Nuggets do not play at a pace that can be compared to that of the Celtics and they are similarly far behind in the assist numbers. There would likely be a grace period before Gallinari could get comfortable in the offense and that would greatly disrupt the flow that has them as the highest scoring team in the eastern conference.
Gallinari is a good enough of an offensive talent to give him tremendous potential if the Celtics were to acquire him. The problem is that there are too many risks that outweigh his potential. Gallinari would have a great chance at success with the Celtics but if they have to give up any significant player or the Brooklyn Nets pick then it will be too steep of a price.