The Los Angeles Lakers became instant title contenders after what was considered to be the most lopsided trade in NBA history. They had acquired the gifted Pau Gasol for a few players who were comparable to a bag of chips — including Pau’s obscure, chubby little brother, Marc Gasol.
To say that Marc was destined to follow in his brother’s footsteps to the summit of the basketball world would be a misguided claim.
“I wasn’t anybody,” Marc argued. “I wasn’t outstanding. Nobody talked about me. Nobody was knocking on the door to come scout me.”
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Fast forward to the current NBA season, and Marc is noticeably slimmer. He went from weighing more than 300 pounds while he was in high school in Memphis to 265 pounds before the start of training camp. His diet has improved and his work ethic intensified.
The fruits of his labor are evident; he’s not only emerged as an MVP candidate, but he’s also leading the Grizzlies into championship contention. The former Defensive Player of the Year is also scoring a career-high 19.3 points per game to go along with 8.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
The fans have rewarded Gasol for his improvements and brilliant play on the court by voting him into the starting lineup at the All-Star Game — meaning that Marc has become the first player to ever represent the Memphis Grizzlies as an All-Star starter, and rightfully so.
“Not in my wildest dreams would you think I would be a starting All-Star,” said Gasol. “I never thought I ‘d be playing in the NBA.” Via Action News 5.
The Spaniard’s robust defense on one end paired with his extraordinary ball handling, passing ability. and touch around the hoop produce exotic transition plays that the league rarely ever sees from their big men.
Gasol’s game subsumes so much ingenuity and creativity that it eludes most players who have otherworldly athleticism. He doesn’t jump out of the gym with his leaping ability or block shots into the third row, but that doesn’t take away from the awe his performances elicit. For what he lacks in inherited athleticism, he compensates with empathy, intuition, and a vast array of skills.
He recognizes the needs of others, and then he applies his brute force thoughtfully. Watch the video below as Gasol does his best Magic Johnson impersonation.
The Spaniard’s selfless game on the court beautifully depicts the way he lives his life off the court. A common notion amongst NBA players of today is that they must block out every surrounding distraction and focus on themselves and their personal game — ignoring outside factors because it’s all about you, and what you can do for the your team and yourself.
Emphasis on oneself is considered wise.
“To me it’s the opposite way,” Gasol says. “Everything that I have outside the game, I play for them. I play for the kids — for Adam and Annie, for Adam and Nick.”
Nicholas London and Adam Cruthirds are two high school basketball players who have been diagnosed with leukemia. They’re currently being treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
Although a year ago the Gasol brothers launched the Gasol Foundation, which focuses its time, energy, and money on the epidemic of childhood obesity, Marc similarly provides excellent aid in regard to the needs of his teammates.
Although self-sacrificing, the 7-foot-1, 265 pound center is not going to be pushed around. Marc certainly isn’t considered a star for serving as a heedless behemoth on the court, but as aforementioned, he utilizes his hefty stature deliberately. Gasol has been much more aggressive on offense this season, much to the delight of Grizzlies fans.
Here’s a video of Marc breaking out for a career-high 32 points on opening night.
As an MVP-caliber player, Marc is pulling off highlight worthy plays every night, and his range extends almost all over the floor — even behind the backboard.
…and beyond the arc.
He also hit a three earlier in the season against Dwight Howard, which can be found here; however, not only can Marc Gasol pick-and-pop, but he and Mike Conley have also mastered the pick-and-roll together — which has become a thing of beauty.
His colossal frame is strenuous for on-ball defenders to navigate around when he sets screens, and his soft hands and touch near the basket enable him to catch and finish while rolling to the hoop.
According to Basketball-Reference, 26 percent of Gasol’s shots come within three feet of the hoop, and he converts them at a 72 percent clip. That’s quite impressive efficiency considering how Marc lacks the athletic edge that’s typically needed to play above the rim and finish on lobs.
Big Spain has a wide variety of options to explore when he decides to put the ball in the hoop; however Marc has a huge impact on the Grizzlies defensive schemes. Slimming down has helped him to run faster and jump higher; he has a noticeably sprier bounce in his step.
In addition to his 1.7 blocks per game, Gasol’s presence and orchestration is what enables the Grizzlies’ defense to operate like a well-oiled machine.
Per NBA.com/Stats, players shoot 3.2 percentage points lower than their average when Gasol is defending them. Most coaches are specifically skilled in the art of calling out another team’s play by simply reading their alignment, however, Gasol is one of the rare players who’s also perfecting this art.
While opponents shoot 50 percent at the rim when defended by Gasol — an average mark for a big man — there are so many defensive possessions where Gasol’s positioning, anticipation and on-court intelligence forced misses without him getting any credit in the stat sheet. It’s probably not a coincidence that the benevolent big man is noted for his timely “help” defense.
No longer floating under the radar as Pau’s irrelevant little brother, Marc Gasol has established himself as a hard worker on and off the court; alas, his efforts to succeed have come to fruition. Marc has shattered his critic’s low expectations when he was traded to Memphis, and he surely won’t let his fans down while the stakes are high.