A look at Danilo Gallinari's play against Angola
Two games into the FIBA Basketball World Cup, Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari and Italy are off to a perfect start. But the biggest test of group play remains on Wednesday. In a 92-61 win against Angola on Monday, Gallinari wasn't as efficient as his opening-round performance against the
Philippines, but the Italians again made quick work of an inferior oppponent in Group D play in China.
Against Angola, Gallinari had seven points, six rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes. Gallinari shot 3-of-7 from the field and missed his two 3-point attempts,
but his engaged defense and aggression on offense helped Italy burst out to a 25-11 lead after the first quarter.
Italy is now 2-0 headed into its toughest game of group play against Serbia on Wednesday. Serbia, ranked No. 4 in the world, has numerous NBA players including Denver center Nikola Jokic and Sacramento guard Bodgan Bogdanovic.
The top two teams in Group D advance to the second round of group play where they will play the top two teams from Group C, likely Spain and Puerto Rico.
Here's a closer look at Gallinari's second game:
On offense …
Against Angola, Gallinari was less splashy offensively than in Game 1 against the Philippines, finishing a couple of dunks while struggling to finish against contact and missing an open 3-point attempt. He excelled more at the dirty work. His involvement as a screener opened opportunities for teammates to create. He fought on the offensive glass to give Italy second-chance opportunities.
But Gallinari had a couple of possessions in the first half that showed his versatility at his size off the dribble. In the first quarter, he had a drive and dunk, then a long jumper in transition after bringing the ball up. Both came against pretty soft defense.
Before halftime, Gallinari showcased his ballhandling and passing ability in tight spaces with a drive and nifty bounce pass for an assist. Gallinari has a 6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in two
Watch the Thunder and United States at FIBA
Thunder players Danilo Gallinari and Dennis Schroder will be playing in the FIBA World Cup in China from Aug. 31 to Sept. 15. Group stage games begin on Friday. All games can be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required).
*All times central Saturday, Aug. 31: Italy 108, Philippines 62Sunday: France 78, Germany
games.
On defense …
Gallinari isn't a traditional rim protector and he also isn't the fleetest of foot, which raises questions as to who exactly he's supposed to defend. Ideally, you plant Gallinari on a stretch four who spots up from the perimeter, or use him as a post defender who can hold up until help comes (Gallinari showed strength and physicality, doing well to draw an offensive foul while getting posted up in the second quarter). Gallinari also looks like he's getting his conditioning back after missing time this month after having an emergency appendectomy.
In two games against subpar competition, though, Gallinari has mostly been solid. In one possession, he rotated well from the weak side to force the Angola penetrator to pass up a shot on a drive. The rotation kept Italy's defense from getting compromised and the result was a takeaway and fastbreak opportunity.
On another possession, it's clear there's miscommunication between Gallinari and center Paul Bilig ha when Angola sets a screen.
74Monday: Italy 92, Angola 61Tuesday: Germany vs. Dominican Republic, 3:30 a.m.Wednesday: Italy vs. Serbia, 6:30 a.m.Thursday: Germany vs. Jordan, 3:30 a.m.
USA group stage schedule
Sunday: USA 88, Czech Republic 67Tuesday: USA vs. Turkey, 7:30 a.m.Thursday: USA vs. Japan, 7:30 a.m.
Gallinari's man drove for an easy dunk when he switched onto Biligha's man instead of staying with the ballhandler, but Gallinari also switched on the previous action, so he may just be continuing with scheme.
Gallinari did better a few possessions later, alert on the switch and moving his feet to contest the drive despite committing the foul. Gallinari isn't the quickest, but he closed the first quarter really well with a nice defensive possession in isolation.
Small stuff, but areas of necessary consistency which will be needed against Serbia on Wednesday. With both Serbia and Italy qualified for the second round, it will be interesting to see how playing time is distributed in the final group game. Serbia routed Italy 96-64 on Aug. 17 in the Acropolis Tournament in Greece, so Jokic and Co. will be heavy favorites, but there will be motivation from Italy to continue its momentum heading into the second round.
Overall, Italy has been a team-high plus-62 in Gallinari's 42 minutes across two games. He's been a positive against far inferior competition and will need to be at his best on both ends against Serbia.