Posted by Bippity10:
On the ball defense: Seems to have the same short choppy steps footwork that Allan Houston had. Keeps his legs together and bends forward at the waste when he goes into his defensive stance. He works hard, but this is a very tough habit to get over, especially with the limited NBA practice schedule. Defensively he would have probably benefited from a couple years under someone like Calhoun. Obviously he also needs to work on his strength. He's gotten dunked on more in the last 8 games than most SF's do in their entire careers. He has a long way to go. I think added strength will help but I really don't see him ever being a great on the ball defender. Right now you really can't play him for more than 15-20 minutes without him becoming a liability. Ultimately I see him being a better defender guarding 4's than 3's, but that's only if he gets stronger. can he one day guard 3's? Mabye. Guys like Bird learned to do it with savvy. Gallinari is a savvy player so there is a chance, I just don't ever see him being great at it. His awkwardness will also hurt him as refs will call a lot of fouls on him
Off the ball defense-The best part about it is that he tries. He gives an effort to get in the passing lanes. He has very good instincts and seems to understand where he needs to be. He lacks great athleticism(at least from what I see) so his impact may be limited but he will definitely be a solid help defender. His pick and roll defense is about as bad as it gets at this point. He seems to be taking lessons from David Lee.
Rebounding-This is a tough one for me to analyze. He definitely pursues the offensive boards and this is a big plus. But on the defensive end he simply gets overpowered. Once again, strength is a major issue. He gets overpowered by SF's and PF's and that's a concern for me. Of course, he is going to get stronger both naturally and by working out, but he really needs to work at it. Combine that with him not being a great leaper and his strength becomes more important. The only positive I can say at this point is that at least he gives an effort. I want more than "at least he gives an effort" out of my 6-10, #6 pick, but for now I'm okay and will wait to see if his strength improves. Ultimately I see him as a player with a PF's body that rebounds like a SF.
Shooting-Not much question here. The man can shoot. We haven't seen it yet, but I suspect that there will be days when he hits 3, 4, 5 in a row and really has an impact on the game. Let's just hope he improves his defense enough to stay on the court long enough to make this happen.
Off the dribble-I said this in the summer league and I will say it again now. When he does his little shake and bake into a jumpshot he has a lot more room than he realizes. Nobody is going to affect it. They will either be to slow or too small. Two problems with that. The player has to realize it. Some never do. Some kind of do. Some have an epiphany and begin to shoot like it's practice. I have an inkling that once he gets used to the NBA he will figure it out just like he did in the summer league and one day he will take that shot on a regular basis instead of passing it off like he does now. Bad news is that the NBA is not the summer league and NBA players will adjust to that and use their strength to knock him off balance. Only time will tell if he learns to counter adjust. I have a lot of faith in him here and think he will be very good. Another offensive skill he has developed early is his ability to draw fouls. He doesn't blow by people but draws contact on both his dribble drives and his up fakes. He doesn't shy away from contact like many players and is already getting to the line 3 times a game in about 15 minutes per game. When he adds strength I think this will go up even more. Combine that with his awkwardness and he will get a few calls. He also seems to have learned that he doesn't have to get by people. He appears able to get close in shots even when bumped. More so on pullups than completed drives to the basket though. Haven't seen much creativity and passing which he is supposed to be known for.
Without the ball-Stands around too much. Can't tell if this is by design from D'Antoni to avoid having him do too much or if this is a bad habit he has developed. Either way, I hope it doesn't hurt him in the long run.
Let me know your thoughts.
I think his on ball defense will be fine. Any 6'11" dude is going to look a bit uncomfortable guarding smaller players but Gallo is very smart and is using his length to stay in front of people. The big issue is his strength which will eventually allow him to guard people closer to his size without being overwhelmed.
I think his off the ball defense is better than most Knick players and that's obviously not saying much but bottom line he has been coached well by his dad and Euro coaches and understands defensive rotations. It would help if the stupid NBA refs wouldn't blow a whistle on rookies every time simply because they are rookies.
Rebounding always comes down to effort and an ability to get off the floor quickly. I think he'll be a below average rebounder for his size but potentially an average or above average rebounder if we end up playing him at the 3. No great shakes here.
Shooting is off the charts. When is the last time any rookie has walked into the league with limited minutes and attempts and nailed his first 15 straight free throws. His 3-point shot is nails. It remains to be seen how effective his 2-point shooting with people in his face will be but I suspect his shooting will always be outstanding.
Off the dribble he is better than most players his size. He knows what he's doing I think it will come down to confidence in putting it on the floor a few more times and getting that one extra dribble to finish closer at the rim. He can handle the ball better than 90% of NBA players 6'10" and above.
Without the ball - yes - probably needs work but part of this is stamina and being in shape. Another part is Mike D is asking him to stay wide in order to open the court up. Team's are already staying home on him because they fear the outside shot so much.
2/4/2009 6:43 PM