Atlanta Hawks: 5 players crucial to playoff success

Atlanta Hawks player crucial to playoff success – Danilo Gallinari

When the Hawks traded two future second-round draft picks to the OKC Thunder they received the sharp-shooting big man Danilo Gallinari. He then accepted a bench role with the team which was a step down from the starting role he has enjoyed for many years.

He is a walking mismatch when he is on the court. He can back his opponent down when he is in the post, he is also able to rise up over most defenders in the mid-range. However, it is from the perimeter that Gallinari is at his most dangerous.

He has set the 3-point record for the Hawks in a single game when he hit 10 from deep against the Boston Celtics. When Gallinari is on from the outside, the Hawks are close to unstoppable. He spaces the floor in a way that very few big men can do.

Gallinari has only played 25 playoff games and is yet to prove himself as a difference-maker. However, if Gallinari has the mindset that he has shown throughout the regular season then the Hawks are going to be hard to stop. He is so crucial to the Hawks systems that if he does not fire, the Hawks struggle to win.