Getty Danilo Gallinari #8 of the Atlanta Hawks.
In the 14 seasons he’s been in the NBA, Danilo Gallinari knows a thing or two about playoff success. In his first season with the Atlanta Hawks, they made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 and were two wins away from advancing to the NBA Finals. The next season, the Miami Heat defeated them in the first round in a gentleman’s sweep.
The Boston Celtics are coming off their first run to the NBA Finals since 2010. Jaylen Brown is 25 years old, while Jayson Tatum is 24. A team going that far with its two best players being that young would inspire confidence that they’ll be back. Gallinari, however, has made it clear that success like that is never a guarantee.
“It’s never easy to do the same thing you did the year before and once you’re there, you need to use the chance you get… to win that game and win that series,” Gallinari said in an interview with CLNS Media. “You cannot think that ‘Okay, we didn’t do it this year. We’re going to do it next year for sure.’ It doesn’t work like that in the NBA. So, you need to utilize every chance that you’ve got.”
Going to the reigning Eastern Conference champions could give Gallinari a chance at a ring, which apparently was one of the reasons why he picked the Celtics this offseason.
Gallinari Explained Why He Chose Boston
During the interview, Gallinari was asked what it was about Boston that made him choose the Celtics. Gallinari went on to explain that their youth and experience, combined with the franchise’s history, were among the reasons he picked the Celtics.
“They have a young group. A talented young group with a lot of experience already. They have been to the playoffs almost every year for the past few years, especially with what they did the last year. I think that it’s a group that can do some damage in the future. That was the main goal for me. I think that being part of this, and especially the city, the franchise, the history. You know, a lot of reasons.”
Gallinari also added that he had been close to signing with the Celtics multiple times before signing his name on the dotted line during the 2022 NBA Offseason.
“We were close a couple of times. Since Brad took over as head coach years ago, we’ve always been in touch, and so we were close a couple of times. Finally we were able to make it happen.”
Now that he’s on the team, all that remains is knowing what role he’ll play for the Celtics. Gallinari gave an idea as to what that will be.
Gallinari Explained Where He Fits With the Celtics
Gallinari told CLNS Media that even though he’s going to be their backup power forward, he’s ready for whatever role the Celtics give him, even if that includes playing center.
“My position is going to be the backup four, but whatever needs to be done, I’ll do it. You guys know I can play different positions, of course. I never played the five, but if it’s something that needs to be played, I’ll play it, no problem. Whatever needs to be done, I’ll be there to do it.”
Head Coach Ime Udoka talked about Gallinari’s role on the team during the 2022 NBA Las Vegas Summer League.
“He was a three most of his career. He’s kind of slid into a small-ball four lately, and he could play some stretch five for us with his size and strength. (He’s) another guy (who) does a few different things in three, four, and five position… He can shoot the ball, really cerebral player, but also can post up and alleviate some of the iso stuff and you just want to get a basket, so as king of a post-component to us, which we don’t always have at times.”