Memphis Grizzlies: Is Marc Gasol The Best C In The NBA?
By Evan Massey
Is Memphis Grizzlies’ big man Marc Gasol the best all-around center in the NBA right now?
There are plenty of talented centers in the NBA this year, and one of them has been Memphis Grizzlies’ big man Marc Gasol. He has taken his game to a new level this season so far, and has led his team to a 12-2 record so far this year. His play so far has been impressive and there is no question that he has improved in a big way from last year as an all-around player.
Take a look at Gasol’s numbers through his first 14 games this season:
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/24/2014.
Needless to say, those numbers are much improved from his performance last year. He has raised his points per game average by 5.3 per game, his rebounding numbers by 0.9, and has even stepped up his blocks per game a bit as well. Memphis looks to be a legitimate contender in the Western Conference this year, and Gasol has been the most consistent player for them throughout the season.
Gasol’s early impressive play leads many to ask the question of whether or not he is currently the NBA’s best center.
As mentioned before, there are plenty of good centers across the league that are in contention for the honor of being the best center in the league. DeMarcus Cousins has been playing impressive basketball as well this season, and Dwight Howard is always in contention for the award as well. It’s hard to argue against Cousins at this point in time with the way that he has been playing, but Gasol isn’t too far behind him.
Both Sacramento and Memphis have been major success stories through the early part of the NBA schedule, but they both still have a lot to prove. Cousins and Gasol have been the main reasons for their respective teams’ success, and they will both have to continue playing at the level they are at for the success they have had to continue.
Cousins is putting up huge numbers, averaging 23.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. He simply has been the best center in the game throughout the early season, and is edging out Gasol by a very small amount. Gasol has put up very similar numbers, but Cousins has been a bit better on the offensive end of the court as well as rebounding the ball.
Despite the fact that he isn’t the number one center in the league, he is still a very close second. The Grizzlies have had more success so far this year than the Kings, and are currently looking like the best team in the NBA. Gasol has a good supporting cast in Zach Randolph and Mike Conley especially, while Cousins has both Rudy Gay and Darren Collison who are playing at a very high level.
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Memphis has to be getting more and more nervous about losing Gasol in free agency this coming offseason. He has been playing his way into a huge payday, and there are plenty of reasons to believe that he will continue playing at the level that he has.
All of that being said, Gasol is currently the second best center in the game behind Cousins but it isn’t by that much. He has been a better passer, but his scoring and rebounding simply hasn’t been as prolific as Cousins. It wouldn’t be surprising to see these two players switch positions throughout the course of the season, but that is how it stands at this point in time.