When he entered the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2006 as the top overall pick of the Toronto Raptors, Andrea Bargnani took the NBA by storm with his fiery shooting. If not for health issues, Bargnani would have bagged NBA Rookie of the Year honors at that time as well.
With so much promise, Bargnani established himself as one of the seven-footers who had the Midas touch from the outside. He was considered another Dirk Nowitzki in the making, but injuries somehow got in the way and slowed him down.
When he moved to the New York Knicks in 2013, Bargnani was hoping to get a fresh start. And as he did in Toronto, injuries once again got the best of his time.
Now, he gets another fresh start after the Brooklyn Nets signed him up last July. The intent was obvious, the Nets wanted a player who could score and do it from the outside. Apparently, Bargnani fit the bill.
And to prove that he wants to bounce back and give the Nets their money's worth, Bargnani agreed to a minimum deal worth $2.9 million for two years.
From the way he played in the EuroBasket 2015, it looks like Bargnani is primed and ready for the coming NBA wars. When healthy, Bargnani can be a deadly scorer.
If he is able to churn out the same performance in the European league, life will be easier for Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, the two cornerstones whom Billy King believes will be key towards the success of the ballclub moving forward.
But what the Nets can get from offense could become a liability on the defensive side. Bargnani is not exactly known best for his defensive prowess, which leaves a bit of a question mark on what the 29-year-old Italian cage star can do on the floor.
First things first though, to see Bargnani flourish, he needs to stay healthy. If he gets bitten yet again by the injury bug, chances are he will not be much of help to the Nets.
