Name: Andrea Bargnani
Height/weight (per Basketball-Reference.com): 7-0, 225 pounds
Career stats: 504 G, .438 FG%/.356 3FG%/.824 FT%, 15.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.9 BPG, 103 offensive rating, 111 defensive rating
2014-15 stats: 29 G, .454 FG%/.366 3FG%/.813 FT%, 14.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 0.9 BPG, 104 o-rating, 113 d-rating
How he was acquired: Signed to a multi-year deal as a free agent by the Nets on July 17th, 2015
2014-15 season recap: After being sent to the Knicks from the Raptors in an ill-advised trade in the summer of 2013, Bargnani slogged through two injury-limited seasons with a New York team that won just 54 games combined. The tall Italian only appeared in 71 games over that period of time and saw his athleticism and defensive skills almost completely evaporate.
In 2013-14, his shooting and scoring numbers rivaled career-lows but they rebounded a bit last season, as he almost fully became a jump-shooter, abandoning the paint on offense. At 7-foot, the former No. 1 overall pick has always had the size necessary to become an effective scorer down low but he has been a shooter first, scorer second and defender ninth (get it?). At this point in his career, he really can’t be expected to do much more than hit a couple of threes a night off the bench and maybe have a big game once every month or so.
Expected role: The Nets, somewhat surprisingly, signed Bargnani this summer to serve as frontcourt depth behind Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young instead of looking at younger options. Willie Reed, Thomas Robinson and Jerome Jordan are also there, but it’s far to assume that Bargnani provides more offensive value than any of those three guys so–if healthy–he’ll probably get some of the first second quarter playing time off the bench.
Best-case scenario: If Bargnani is able to stay healthy and continue to make three-pointers–and two-point jumpers–at similar rates to how he has over his whole career, then the Nets would be getting a power forward who can stretch the floor in ways Lopez and Young cannot. Also, they’d be getting a veteran with nice size that can help with Brooklyn’s noted rebounding woes. All the Nets could ask for is 10-15 minutes a game from him for 60-65 games, which would be ideal.
Worst-case scenario: However, that optimistic outlook may be a little too positive. Bargnani hasn’t played more than 42 games since the 2010-11 season due to various injuries, which all get magnified due to his huge frame. Also, his defensive ratings of 110 and 113 respectively over the past two years highlight just how much of a defensive liability he has been for most of his time in the NBA. It doesn’t take much imagination to envision Andrea’s 2015-16 season being a disaster, both in terms of missing copious amounts of time on the bench and with general sieve-like defense.
General thoughts: The Nets aren’t getting the Andrea Bargnani that regularly scored 20 points a night with decent efficiency. They’re getting a much worse version of that Bargnani, that is significantly worse at defense than he used to be–note: he has always been a terrible defender–and is likely to miss half the season. Don’t expect a whole lot from this signing; it’s the embodiment a of low-risk, low-reward move.
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