Danilo Gallinari had a rough first season in a Clippers’ jersey. Signed to a 3 year, $60 million deal last summer, Gallo appeared in only 21 games last season, missing almost 3⁄4 of the season. Even when he did play, he was largely ineffective, posting the lowest field goal percentage and three point percentage of his career.
One way or another, Gallinari is incredibly important to this Clippers’ season. If he’s healthy, and plays well, they have a good chance of being competitive, even in the tough Western Conference. Even if the rest of the team struggles, a good, healthy season from Gallo could rehab some of his lost trade value, enabling the Clippers to flip him at the trade deadline without sacrificing assets, as they’d have to do right now.