Assessing Gabriel Galvanini

May 30, 2018

I took the time to watch Bauru’s 6-8, 1998-born forward, Gabriel Galvanini from Brazil, as he is currently an early entry candidate for the 2018 NBA Draft. He is rated by ESPN as a player that could possibly go in the second round if he stays in the draft. With thanks to YouTube via NBB, I was able to see him and his team play against Franca in an April 19th game. Here are my thoughts on how he fared, and how his game may translate to the NBA.

Gabriel Galvanini excelled at scoring on hustle plays. He will often set screens for his team, and he can score on rolls to the rim. Plus, he also will run hard down the court, as he can catch long passes to score on fast breaks, and he even managed to throw down a dunk as he scored once as a trailer in transition. Also, he showed an adequate ability to make threes to space the floor for his team. He can patiently knock down open spot-up threes, as he can take advantage of opponents that give him ample room to get his shot off. Galvanini also can make threes from NBA range. However, he was not always able to knock down outside shots even when open, as he struggled more to shoot on the move. He also seems to have a bit of a slow release, as he may have a tougher time making shots when opponents aggressively close out on him.

Galvanini also used a pump fake to get to the foul line on an aggressive left-handed drive to the hoop. However, he is not a good free throw shooter as he has never made 60% or better at the foul line at any season in the NBB yet, and in this game he ended up missing all of his free throws. Also, he will likely need to improve his low post game. While he can catch tough passes and score on simple moves around the basket, he may struggle more if he has to do more than that on the block. On one play, he backed his man down, but he missed on a fadeaway, turnaround jumper. Another time, he backed his man down from around the three-point line near the right corner to get to the paint, but he ended up missing on a sweeping hook shot.

He also displayed fairly good playmaking skills. Galvanini is a good passer that pass out of the post to find the open man, and he also can throw sharp, long passes to find teammates on the move. He can hit cutters, and he will look to throw entry passes to get big men the basketball on offense. He also is a good screen setter, as he will tend to set firm, physical screens, and he can help get his teammates open shots. However, he may not be an especially dynamic playmaker, as he may not look to create his own shot often when he is out on the perimeter. Also, he did commit one turnover, as he telegraphed a bounce pass, enabling an opponent to intercept it that time.

Plus, he also did a fairly good job of rebounding the basketball. Galvanini would often leap up to get defensive rebounds, as he managed to get a one-handed board once, and he also tipped a ball to himself to collect another. However, sometimes he may not always corral balls in his area, and more athletic opponents can out-jump him to get to a few balls in the air. He also was called for committing an over the back foul once when going for an offensive rebounding attempt, and he also would be called for aggressively fouling opponents on put backs as he may not always be in position to get rebounds.

Also, he showed off decent defensive skills. Galvanini is an effective help defender that will actively play passing lanes, as he can run in to tip passes to teammates to force turnovers, and he also raced in to jump a pass to get a steal later in this contest. He is an instinctive player that has good ball location skills, and he can get his hands on balls to make it difficult for his opponents to get it to their teammates.

He also will make aggressive rotations, as he can help defend opponents on drives and cuts to force misses, and he also has the strength and footwork to hold his own when defending drives as well as in the post to force opponents to pass the basketball. But sometimes, he can be late on his rotations, as he may give up too much space to shooters on occasion, and he also can get beat off the dribble. He also can get beat on moves in the post, but his opponents were often unable to take advantage, as they would tend to miss shots regardless. Other times, Galvanini would rotate to commit reach-in fouls due to over-aggressiveness.

In general, Gabriel Galvanini is an energetic, high motor combo forward that will compete on every possession, and he can make plays on both ends of the court. On offense, he can score on off-ball motion plays, and he can also score on spot-up jumpers as well as on basic moves in the post. He also is a good passer and rebounder, and he can force turnovers due to his ability to play passing lanes. However, he may need to improve his ability to create off the dribble, ball handling skills, and position defense. In addition, he will also need to improve his free-throw shooting.

Right now, he is a prospect that could profile into being a 3 and D type of player in the NBA. If he stays in the draft, he could end up being a stash pick as a team may take a flier on him in the mid to late second round. If he can continue to develop as an overall player to maximize his potential, he could end up being an effective role player as an Eduardo Najera type of player in the association.