Former Wizards Forward Finally Wins Finals MVP

The Italian forward averaged over 26 points per game in the finals series on a team that similarly rostered JaVale McGee, a longtime role player who also saw his fair share of NBA locker rooms.

The performance was less of a breakout shooting stretch than it was a return to scoring glory for Gallinari, who spent his 14 active NBA seasons by repeatedly sucking teams in with his gravity as a shooter and bucket-generator at 6'10. Despite missing multiple complete seasons with various ill-timed injuries, he was a near-15 point per game scorer for his career, peaking as highly as several 19+ point per night seasons in the late-2010s with the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers.

He looked to be slowly descending into a serviceable, rotational forward with the Atlanta Hawks, as he played an active role in their run to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals as a reserve. He looked to join the Boston Celtics' 2022-23 title hunt, but tore his ACL when playing for Italy's FIBA team shortly after signing, which kept him from impacting that season's conference finalist.

Gallinari's final NBA season arrived in his comeback tour, which he spent the first half of with the Washington Wizards after getting rerouted as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade. He played under 13 minutes per game in 26 games for Washington, the lowest minute total of his career before he was once again dealt.

He appeared with two more teams, the Detroit Pistons and, finally, the Bucks, in what would be his final NBA season. His defense was shot and the athleticism looked diminished, but he managed to dig back into his old scoring bag with some of the same play-finishing expertise and shooting stroke he consistently flashed in his younger days.

With several chances at deep playoff runs and potentially winning an NBA championship lost, this provides a bit of closure for Gallinari and his professional career, colored with what-ifs scattered along his big-name stops. He's always been an impressive scorer, and got to look the part one more time in Puerto Rico.