Denver Nuggets Coach George Karl rooting for Danilo Gallinari to get better – NBA Update
Denver Nuggets coach George Karl has said that he believes Danilo Gallinari can become a much better player in the future. Danilo Gallinari is an Italian small forward; the Nuggets acquired from the New York Knicks in the trade
that saw superstar forward Carmelo Anthony go the other way.
Gallinari is a player with great potential and has shown flashes of his undeniable talent since coming to Denver. Gallinari put in a 30 point shift in just his second game for the Bronchos and seemed set to make the step from a
good player to a great player with the franchise. However, his progress was halted because he missed the next eight games due to a toe injury and the player lost his swagger after his return to the team. His form dipped from that point on and the player ended
up averaging 14.7 points per game with the Denver Nuggets compared to 15.9 with the Knicks earlier in the campaign.
That did not shake his coach George Karl’s belief in the young forward. Karl, along with assistant coach John Welch and strength coach Steve Hess paid a visit to Gallinari in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Italy some time ago. There the
coaches chalked out a future course of action that will help the player fulfil his enormous potential next season.
George Karl spoke about his discussions with Danilo in the offseason,
“I think we both made a step together into a better place,” Karl said. “Understanding what we want to do and how we want to get there.”
Gallinari is 6-foot-10 and the forward has wide ranging capabilities, although he is still a little raw. George Karl has a vision for his forward and says Danilo can grow in a lot of areas,
“The window in almost every area has growth,” Karl said. “He can become a better defender, he can become a better rebounder, his playmaking can grow and his ability to become a consistent scorer.”
The Nuggets got a few players in return for star man Carmelo Anthony and Danilo is probably the best of the bunch. Coming into the side in midseason, expectations were high for the player who can most ably fill the void left by
Anthony’s departure.
Karl however was careful not to heap too much pressure on the young forward and made it clear Gallinari would not be expected to take on Carmelo’s work load,
“He’s not going to get into the Melo numbers, but I think he’s going to take a step forward next year. He averaged 15? I think the step would be 18 or something like that.”
The future seems bright for the Italian and he will definitely play a big role for the Denver Nuggets next season.
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