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Danilo Gallinari shares thoughts on accepting bench role with Boston Celtics

Cameron Tabatabaie
·2 min read
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At his introductory press conference with his new club, the Boston Celtics, veteran wing Danilo Gallinari was asked about accepting a bench role with his former club, the Atlanta Hawks. The former No. 6 overall pick logged just 22 starts in Atlanta across two truncated seasons.

Now joining the Celtics, it’s likely Gallinari will continue to come off the bench. He averaged around 25 minutes per game last season, but that number could dip a little more given Boston’s crowded rotation. The Italian Stallion seems poised to take it in stride.

“For a player is never especially easy, especially mentally,” Gallinari told reporters” But it’s something that at some point I accepted, and mentally you got to get used to it, you’ve got to accept it.”

Coming to Boston, Gallo will help take pressure off of Jayson Tatum on the wing. Likewise, he gives head coach Ime Udoka the possibility of going small. Gallinari knows he has to stay ready regardless. His time in Atlanta helped him bigly.

“I thought, you know, at that point in my career, it was a move that I decided to accept. I think I did a good job in those two years as a bench player in Atlanta. It’s something that you’ve got to adjust to and you got to be a pro, and whatever you need to do, whatever needs to be done, you’ve to do it.”

Gallinari has been in the league since 2008 and was at one point a premier offensive weapon. As recently as the 2018-19 season, “Il Gallo” averaged 19.8 points per game on an efficient 46.3 percent from the field, including 43.3 percent from three.

Not bad for a 6’10” small forward with a pretty strong post game.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire.

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