Boomers Olympic Opposition Analysis: Italy

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Australia Boomers v Italy Azzurri

Written for nbl.com.au by Tom Hersz

Australian Boomers v Italy Azzurri

When: 6.20pm (AEST), Wednesday 28 July

Where: Saitama Super Arena, Tokyo, Japan

Broadcast: 7 Network, 7+

In a tale of two completely different looking games, Australia meets Italy on Wednesday in each team’s second game of Group B action as both nations look to remain undefeated.

The Boomers won in an ugly, turnover prone, scrappy affair against Nigeria on Sunday. Shooting just 39 per cent from the field and committing 21 turnovers, the Boomers relied on their defence, some strong perimeter shooting (11/24 from three) and accurate free-throw shooting (17/19) to slowly build a lead in the second half and then clamp down defensively to extend it in the fourth.

Italy meanwhile came from 12 points down in the first half to slowly work their way back into the game in a much higher scoring affair. They took the lead in the third quarter briefly before a dominant fourth quarter (24-10) sealed a double-digit win, 92-82. Both teams shot well, with the Azzurri hitting 50 per cent overall from the field, including a red-hot 15/31 from three (48.4 per cent).

The Italians, sitting 10th in FIBA rankings, are in their first Olympics since shocking the world by winning silver in 2004. They won through to Tokyo by upsetting Serbia in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade and after defeating Germany in their opening game, are looking to make some noise and advance to the knockout stages.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">Ci vediamo a Tokyo, Azzurri ??<br><br>Italy stuns <a href="https://twitter.com/KSSrbije?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KSSrbije</a> ?? in Belgrade and gets the ticket to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> ??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAOQT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAOQT</a> <a href="https://t.co/7usIoyB7F2">pic.twitter.com/7usIoyB7F2</a></p>— FIBA #Tokyo2020 (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1411787647572492294?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Boomers last faced Italy in the quarter finals at the Sydney Olympics with the Australians narrowly advancing 65-62, but that means nothing when these teams square off tomorrow.

Their current team has talent, with three NBA players and a roster full of seasoned veterans and they’re full of confidence following their win over Germany.

Who are the players to watch, who are their x-factors, and what will the Boomers need to focus on to get another victory?

Players to Watch - Italy

Danilo Gallinari: The most recognisable player on this team, Gallinari is coming off a strong playoff run with the Atlanta Hawks. After stunning the 76ers in the second round of the playoffs, the Hawks took the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks to six games in the Eastern Conference Finals, where Gallinari averaged 13.5 points 3.3 rebounds and made 11/25 threes (44 per cent).

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Let it fly, Gallo. <a href="https://t.co/Y3GW81746W">pic.twitter.com/Y3GW81746W</a></p>— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1401616317359312898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A career 38.2 per cent three-point shooter in 12 NBA seasons, Gallinari played predominantly off the bench for the Hawks in his first season there.

He did the same on Sunday for the Azzurri but still had a huge impact with 18 points, hitting 2/2 from deep and 6/9 overall and being a net plus-19 on the game in 25 minutes. He scored in the midrange, from the post and also got to the free throw line (4/5), so will prove a tough cover for the Boomers.

At 6’10, but with a perimeter game that has to be respected, Brian Goorjian will need to be creative with his defensive schemes and be prepared to switch coverages at times. Nick Kay, Jock Landale, Joe Ingles and Matisse Thybulle will all see time on the Rooster (El Gallo), and the Boomers will want to limit his impact and make someone else beat them.

Nico Mannion: After playing sparingly in the NBA in his rookie season, Mannion is relishing this opportunity to run a team and play a feature offensive role for Italy.

A second round pick by the Golden State Warriors, Mannion shared a backcourt with Josh Green at the University of Arizona, having played AAU ball together in High School too. And while Green – the youngest player on the Boomers – is at the end of the Boomers rotation, Mannion is starting for coach Romeo Sacchetti.

In the opening game against Germany, Mannion had 10 points and seven assists, connecting on 2/5 threes and only turning it over once. He can play on the ball or off it at times and is crafty in how he penetrates and creates for teammates.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nico Mannion with a sweet pass to Josh Green for the alley oop... <a href="https://t.co/ZC032zkUrk">pic.twitter.com/ZC032zkUrk</a></p>— ZonaZealotsFS (@ZonaZealots) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZonaZealots/status/1206050509083119617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mannion played just 30 games for the Warriors as a rookie, averaging 4.1 points and 2.3 assists in 12 minutes per game. He struggled offensively, shooting just 34.2% from the field and 36.7 per cent from long range.

Still, he can get hot which he showed in a few games in March (5/8 from three at Sacramento, 3/5 at Phoenix) and he did average 19.3 points and 6.9 assists per game in the G-League bubble for Santa Cruz, so it will be important for Matthew Dellavedova, Dante Exum and Patty Mills to keep him in front of them and force him into contested shots or to be a facilitator.

Nicolò Melli: The tallest player in the Italian starting line-up, Melli, at 6’9, is another versatile big who can score in a variety of ways. Melli was traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Dallas Mavericks this past March, so has also played with Josh Green.

After a solid rookie season at age 29 last year in New Orleans (6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.6 steals in 17.4 minutes per game), his minutes declined this past season before he was traded and he didn’t play that much more once he landed in Dallas.

Melli, now 30, is a fundamentally sound power forward, who is more comfortable operating in the block, but can hit from the perimeter (33.3 per cent from deep in 23 games with Dallas). A veteran of European leagues before going over to the NBA, Melli is a restricted free agent this offseason and there is no guarantee he’ll be back with Dallas, so a strong tournament in Tokyo could help.

In their first game against Germany, he had 13 points (5/10 from the field, 2/5 from downtown) and nine rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, so Aron Baynes, Landale and the other Aussie bigs will need to keep a body on him defensively. His offensive skillset has to be respected, but he’s more likely to play a supporting role than be a primary focus for the Azzurri.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="hu" dir="ltr">a melli a melli a melli ???<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MFFL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MFFL</a> | <a href="https://t.co/oKovi5nfwW">https://t.co/oKovi5nfwW</a> <a href="https://t.co/8danJK4yNg">pic.twitter.com/8danJK4yNg</a></p>— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) <a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/1376713308934397953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Melli also had two steals and reads passing lanes well, so if the Boomers are loose with the ball as they were at times against Nigeria, he could make them pay.

Simone Fontecchio: The leading scorer for the Azzurri at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Belgrade, Fontecchio also led the way in their opener in Tokyo. He had their first 5 points on a three, then a steal leading to a breakaway dunk and kept going from there.

He hit 20 points in all on 7/13 from the floor including a red-hot 5/5 from downtown. Going just 2/8 from two-point range, it’s clear he’s very comfortable on the perimeter.

Fontecchio, a 6’8 forward, averaged 19.7 points in the OQT, hitting 7/13 threes (53.8 per cent) across their three games and he’s coming off a season where he hit nearly 41 per cent from deep with Alba Berlin across Euroleague and German BBL action.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fontecchio is a BEAST ?<br><br>Block on one end, then goes straight for a bucket ??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAOQT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAOQT</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Italbasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@italbasket</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/simofonte13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@simofonte13</a> <a href="https://t.co/47x46kEqBY">pic.twitter.com/47x46kEqBY</a></p>— FIBA #Tokyo2020 (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1411778329103978512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

In short, he is a weapon, and if he’s allowed to get his feet set and get into rhythm, he will make his opponents pay. Fontecchio also had four boards, two assists, three steals and a block against Germany, so he’s far from a one-trick pony.

The Boomers may want to consider starting smaller against Italy with Thybulle coming in for Landale so he can cover Fontecchio, otherwise it could be a tough assignment for Jock.

The X-Factors

Stefano Tonut: Like Delly and Mills, the Italian backcourt can both play on the ball or off it. Tonut starts at the two spot, but will handle the ball a lot for Italy and that makes him dangerous.

When Mannion is running the show, Tonut becomes aggressive as a scorer and that was evident against Germany as he contributed in all four quarters on his way to 18 points (8/13 from the field, 2-5 from long-range) and two assists.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">???? Stefano Tonut (aka <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveBucket7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@stevebucket7</a> ) WAS A BUCKET for <a href="https://twitter.com/REYER1872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@REYER1872</a> on this week's edition of the <a href="https://twitter.com/BasketballCL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketballcl</a> playoffs | Make sure you're tuned in to all BCL games on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LBTV?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LBTV</a><br><br>?: <a href="https://t.co/Id1UryLS8J">https://t.co/Id1UryLS8J</a> <a href="https://t.co/xy2TnHz0jl">pic.twitter.com/xy2TnHz0jl</a></p>— Livebasketball.tv (@LiveBballTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/LiveBballTV/status/1106329034873602048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Tonut also had three steals and really likes to get up on the ball aggressively and pressure the opposing ballhandlers. Delly, Mills, Exum and Sobey will need to be mindful of that.

Tonut converted two of his three steals into buckets for his team (one himself and one assist in transition), so he’ll push the pace when he can.

A veteran of the Serie A league in Italy, Tonut has been with Umana Venezia for the past six seasons and is a staple of this Azzurri team. If he gets hot or on a roll in transition, he can help carry them, so keeping him in check will be important.

Achille Polonara: Don’t be fooled by the box score from Sunday’s win over Germany. Despite going 0/6 from deep, Achille Polonara can shoot and he can certainly score.

He was their second leading scorer in the OQT at 17.3 points per game, connecting on a whopping 11/18 (61.1 per cent) from long range in their three games and he’s a veteran of twelve seasons playing across Europe.

Coming off his second season with Baskonia, Polonara averaged 12.2 points, on 51.5 per cent shooting (44.3 from downtown) in Euroleague play and chipped in 6.6 boards, 1.9 assists, 1.2 steals and just under 1.0 block per game. He has just signed a new two-year deal with Euroleague powerhouse Fenerbahçe.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Baskonia</a> showtime as <a href="https://twitter.com/ilpupazzo33?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ilpupazzo33</a> finished off the Alley-Oop ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/vd3Y9RQiC8">pic.twitter.com/vd3Y9RQiC8</a></p>— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1317207201241550850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

At 6’9, he’s another tall, versatile forward that the Boomers will have to contend with off the Azzurri bench. He is capable of filling it up in a hurry, is long and athletic and is also a very good passer. He is not a great free throw shooter, so if the Boomers can run him off the three-point line and make him put the ball on the floor, they’ll need to challenge him at the rim and make him earn his points.

Polonara is also a smart help defender and can sky high to block shots, so our bigs will need to be mindful of that. He is unlikely to have two bad games in a row, so it will be important to not let him get going early and contest his shots with honest, straight-up defence.

Boomers Keys to the Game

It would be easy look at the way both teams played in their opening games and think the Boomers could be in trouble, but then you remember that there’s a reason Australia is the third ranked FIBA nation and Italy are ranked tenth.

Rankings aside, it’s clear the Boomers have things to tidy up from the game against Nigeria, but this Italian team is not going to present the same challenges in terms of length and athleticism. Quite the contrary in fact.

It is the Boomers who are both the bigger and more athletic team and they should be able to utilise that to their advantage.

The Italians like to pressure the ball, but that shouldn’t really be too much of an issue as they don’t disrupt the passing lanes like the D’Tigers can. In fact, once you beat the Italian press, you can score fairly freely as we saw in the first half from Germany.

So, if the Boomers handle the pressure and then execute either in transition or in the half court, they should find their offence a lot easier to come by than on Sunday.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ball movement ?<a href="https://twitter.com/Patty_Mills?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Patty_Mills</a> finishes it off with another three!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/BasketballAus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BasketballAUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/Dc7yAPKMLf">pic.twitter.com/Dc7yAPKMLf</a></p>— 7Olympics (@7olympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/7olympics/status/1419237034552606721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Defensively is where the Boomers will need to be locked in. There are several weapons on this Italian team and as we saw against Germany, they can get hot and put on points in bunches. They look to work the ball around the perimeter and will put up a lot of threes.

However, the fact that they are not that tall will actually play into the Boomers’ favour as switching screens becomes a lot easier and this Boomers group has shown its own ability to pressure the ball and wreak havoc defensively.

Mannion is still relatively inexperienced, especially at FIBA level and he could find the pressure the Aussies can dish out difficult at times.

But what will be most important is for the Boomers to look after the basketball, limit their turnovers and execute their sets offensively. If they do that, coupled with honest, straight up defence, which has been a focus in their lead up games, then they should be able to dictate the flow and pace of this game much more than they did against Nigeria.