Former Atlanta Hawks player has a slow start with new team

Ex-Atlanta Hawks big man Danilo Gallinari has made a slow start with his latest new team, the Milwaukee Bucks. The 6'10" sharpshooter has had an eventful journey since he was part of the package that the Hawks sent to the San Antonio Spurs as part of the trade that helped land Dejounte Murray.

Gallinari was then waived by the Spurs meaning he was free to sign a multi-year deal with the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately for Gallinari and the Celtics, the big man injured his knee playing for the Italian national team and did not play a game for the franchise. He was traded to the Washington Wizards as part of the Marcus Smart trade.

Gallinari would play 26 games for the Wizards, only averaging 14.8 minutes per game. Unfortunately, Gallinari was not able to play at the level we have become accustomed to over his long and storied career. His 3-point shooting has tapered off since his injury, but the question is, how much of that is the ravages of time and injury and how much is that he has been playing for bad teams?

Ex-Atlanta Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari has improved his championship potential

Gallinarii was traded from the Wizards to the Detroit Pistons where he played only six games. He hit 7-of-12 attempts from beyond the arc in the six games that he has played for the Motor City franchise. Unfortunately for Gallinari, the Pistons chose to waive the 35-year-old veteran on the 8th of February.

This is where this season will get interesting for the big Italian. He signed with the Milwaukee Bucks on the 18th of February, his first time playing with a contender since his time with the Hawks, when they almost made the NBA Finals but for a Trae Young ankle injury.

If Gallinari can recover his previous form where he was a solid contributor for the Hawks, he is going to add another dimension to the Bucks outfit. They were already one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference before Gallinari's signing, he could make them even better.

Gallinari only played just under five minutes in his first outing for the franchise and only took one field goal attempt, which he missed. He collected a rebound and a steal during his time on the court which was a decent contribution for his first time on the court for a new team.

What Gallinari is going to bring to the Bucks is his ability to the space the floor with his shooting. This will make life even easier for Giannis Antetokounmpo who is unstoppable one-on-one. He will have another option to pass to if the defense stops him which, in turn, makes the former MVP even harder to stop.

Gallinari is certianly at the tail end of his career but this is now his second genuine chance to compete for an NBA title. So, how does this impact the Atlanta Hawks? Given how they are struggling at the bottom of the play-in standing, there will be little impact on the team, given that they probably need to start playing their youngsters. I guess it is just nice to see an alumnus doing well for themselves.