Danilo Gallinari 2008 NBA Draft Prospect

After entering this season as a good overseas prospect, Danilo Gallinari has now become the near consensus pick as the top overseas prospect in the 2008 NBA Draft. Gallinari has played exceptionally well in Italy this season, especially considering he is only 19 years old.

At 6-foot-9, Gallinari has varied skills that have scouts thinking he can play either shooting guard or point guard. There are even some scouts who think Gallinari has the ball handling ability and the passing ability to play a bit at point guard if needed.

When watching Gallinari, the thing that first becomes obvious is his ability to score the basketball. For a young player in Europe, he has posted very good scoring numbers and that should be his main strength in the NBA. He can score off the dribble and with range.

The biggest question marks surrounding Gallinari aren’t anything he has done – rather it is the history of recent overseas prospects. Andrea Bargnani was the first overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft and he has been a bust so far for the Toronto Raptors. Last year, the Golden State Warriors picked Marco Belinelli in the first round and Belinelli was a disappointment in his rookie season. These two recent cases of Italian prospects underperforming in the NBA will have scouts questioning themselves up until Gallinari proves he’s a capable NBA player.

Check out this Danilo Gallinari video: