Atlanta Hawks: 3 legends for Danilo Gallinari to study

Atlanta Hawks. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Drazen Petrovic

Legends Atlanta Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari should study No. 1) Drazen Petrovic

While many NBA fans did not get to see Drazen Petrovic for very long he was a legend of the game until he was tragically killed in a car accident. He was just starting to hit his prime when he made the fateful decision to drive rather than fly.

Petrovic did not have things all his own way while making it into the NBA despite the fact that he was one of the best players to come out of Europe. After being taken with the 60th pick in the 1986 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, Petrovic chose to stay in Europe for the next three seasons.

He finally came over in the 1989-90 season where he struggled with the Blazers. After being traded to the Nets, Petrovic started showing the NBA what he could do. He was even named to the 1992-93 All-NBA team. How did he do it? The man could shoot the ball from almost anywhere in the offensive third of the court.

So, what is it that Gallinari can learn from Petrovic? It is his shot selection. Petrovic could hit the 3-ball, he was a career 43.7 percent from beyond the arc. However, he only took 2.0 per game. While it was a different era, if Gallinari shot more from mid-range and the post, there is a good chance that he could be even better from deep than he already is.