Observing Gabriele Procida

June 7^th, 2022

By Alan Lu

Fortitudo Bologna’s Gabriele Procida is an athletic, skilled swingman that is currently an early-entry candidate in the 2022 NBA Draft.  He has received draft buzz this year, and he could potentially go in the late first to the second round range.   I decided to take the time to watch him play in an early season, October 23^rd Italian League game against Milano, with thanks to YouTube via sigmasportsbasket.  Here are my thoughts on how he fared, as well as how his game may translate to the NBA.

Gabriele Procida is an athletic, versatile swingman that played very well in his team’s loss to Milano.  He thrived as a shooter, scorer, and defender in this game, and he played very well on both sides of the ball.

He thrived at scoring on hustle plays.  He would get steals for his team, and he would drive the ball up court to score on thunderous, high-flying dunks on the break.  He also would sometimes look to cut to the hoop, although his teammates wouldn’t get him the ball on those occasions.

Plus, Procida also shot the ball very well, especially from beyond the arc.  He showcased solid shooting skills in this game.  He ran off of a ball screen to get it, and he drove in and utilized a crossover prior to making a smooth, step-back three.  He also was able to make a quick, spot-up three off the catch another time, and Procida showed that he can make threes both off the catch and dribble.  He moves well off the ball, and he will run to find open areas to get the basketball. 

He showcased a satisfactory ability to score off the dribble.  He was able to drive hard to the hoop to draw a foul, although he didn’t get continuation on the play, which would’ve netted him a basket and an extra free throw.  On the other hand, he also missed on a pull-up, mid-range jumper another time.

Also, he displayed average playmaking skills.  Procida is an unselfish player that will make the extra pass to find the open man.  He also pushed the ball quickly off of a steal, and quickly kicked it out to a shooter to notch an assist on the break. He also managed to set a solid off-ball screen once.  On the downside, he can sometimes struggle to handle the ball under pressure.  When getting a defensive board, he got tied up that led to a turnover.  He also was called for a carrying violation while weaving around defenders and pushing the ball quickly on the break.  Sometimes, he can be prone to rushing, and he threw an ill-advised jump pass into traffic that ended up going out of bounds.

Plus, Procida showed did a decent job of rebounding the basketball.  He was active at crashing the glass, and he was able to leap up to aggressively get a tough defensive board in traffic once.  Procida also played solid defense in this game.  He did a great job of getting steals and blocks, and he is a rangy defender that can cover plenty of ground and has a relentless motor.  He would jump passes and rotate to poke balls away to get a plethora of steals, and he also would emphatically block shots in the paint due to possessing good athleticism, timing, and instincts.  He is a very good leaper that enables him to defend taller opponents, and he would close out on shooters to force misses.  On the downside, he would sometimes tend to over-help in the paint, which would put his team in scramble situations, and lead him to allow opponents to score on open threes.  Other times, he would struggle to defend opponents off the dribble when defending out on the perimeter, and he would tend to commit fouls due to over-aggressiveness.

Overall, Gabriele Procida played very well in this game, and he showed off a variety of skills that could enable him to be a solid role player in the NBA.  He showed off versatile scoring skills, and he also primarily excelled as a shooter and defender when he was on the court.  He will need to play more under control on both ends of the floor, but his ability to make shots and defend could enable him to be a good pick in the late first to the second round range in the 2022 draft.