The Los Angeles Lakers have been the most prestigious and prominent franchise in basketball since the 1970s. Besides their location, which makes it quite easier to build overwhelming hype, the Lakers have had a common feature with the rosters they have assembled in the past 40 years–the existence of a league top five guard and dominant post player has been the primary reason Los Angeles has brought home 11 NBA championships since the 1971-72 season.
Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain collected a title together in 1972, only for Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to implement “Showtime” and win five together in the 1980s. The nearly unstoppable Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant duo excelled through the early 2000s, while Bryant later had the privilege to win with a versatile power forward in Pau Gasol.
Pau Gasol’s efforts in the paint must equal those of 2009 and 2010 if the Lakers hope to make noise in the Western Conference. Photo Credit: Bridget Samuels, Flickr.com
More often than not, you would think that the “most important player” label would go to either the best player on the team, as their season lives or dies on how the superstar performs, or a role player that has specific duties and responsibilities outside of the starting lineup.
Neither is the case for the Lakers’ 2013-14 journey, which is set to begin on Oct. 29 vs. the Los Angeles Clippers. If the team wants to make their ninth straight playoff appearance, the player with the most pressure to play consistently well is Pau Gasol.
The four-time All-Star missed 33 games last season, mostly due to the tearing of his plantar fascia in his right foot on Feb. 5, which caused him to be out for more than six weeks. In 2012-13, Gasol had arguably the worst production of his career, averaging just 13.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game on 46.6 percent field goal and 70.2 percent free throw shooting. To be fair, the hard evidence of his down season doesn’t tell the whole story. The Lakers, especially the Spaniard, were under tremendous pressure trying to adjust to coach Mike D’Antoni‘s system and never had a stretch of games with the entire lineup healthy and on the same page.
It’s probably a little more comforting for the Lakers to have big men that connect on their free throws. Photo Credit: Bridget Samuels, Flickr.com
Now 33 years old and once again being forced to adjust to roster changes, Gasol has the chance to prove why he’s still among the top post talents in the world. Losing Dwight Howard as a teammate may have been the best thing to happen for him since winning his second title. Howard’s presence forced Gasol out of the paint and into uncomfortable territory; being asked to score from the perimeter on a consistent basis.
This season, the 7-footer will return to his natural position by playing deeper in the paint, a type of playing style that helped Gasol thrive when he was in the same lineup with center Andrew Bynum. That’s what made last season (alongside Howard) so mind-boggling, considering history showed us Gasol could co-exist with another great center during his championship years.
Why is Gasol more important for the team’s success than the likes of Kobe Bryant or Steve Nash?
Quite frankly, nobody ever questions the production and competitive edge from Bryant. His teammates and coaching staff believe he will return to the same form after his rehab is complete. Nash is a floor general that has the ability to make every shooter, big man and young prospect better. However, the general thought around the organization is that the depth at point guard has improved this offseason with the addition of Jordan Farmar.
When Gasol plays to his strengths and we see flashbacks of his 2008-09 activity, the combo of Bryant and Gasol is hard to beat (well, they used to be). What most fans and analysts need to understand, however, is that it’s just not realistic to expect him to be a huge stat sheet stuffer or highlight reel player like the athletic talents of Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin. Gasol makes his impact with his underrated court vision, being one of the best passing 7-footers this league has seen.
Memories of how dangerous Gasol could be as a versatile power forward/center for the Lakers (as well as evidence of his outstanding passing mindset):
Defensively, more pressure will be on Gasol than he has ever witnessed as a Laker. Every season Los Angeles has contended in the Western Conference, Gasol has had above-average defensive big men alongside him. Bynum had his moments here and there of getting stops and Howard, of course, is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year Award winner. This season, Gasol will have to completely erase the notion that he is too “soft” when going against the tougher frontcourts in the league. With Chris Kaman joining the lineup and also being a center known for offensive abilities rather than defensive reputation, it will be interesting to see how much Gasol works to pick up some of the slack on the defensive end that Howard had to offer last year. The young and energetic Jordan Hill claims that his main concern for this season is on the defensive end, which will be crucial for the Lakers if Gasol becomes a liability against the more athletic teams.
Howard averaged 2.4 blocks and 12.4 rebounds per game last season, numbers that should be Gasol’s goal to approach this season as the team’s number one option in the paint.
Allowing 101.0 points per game again in 2013-14 would likely knock them outside of the playoff picture, understanding that the Western Conference is the strongest it’s been in recent memory.
Will Gasol be physically ready to take on the challenge of being the frontcourt leader?
Coming off an offseason dedicated to getting his knees healthy enough to handle the grind of another long season, Gasol’s activity during the Lakers’ training camp has been limited. D’Antoni has stated that Gasol will be ready (barring any setbacks during the preseason) by opening night.
Playing this season as the last under his current contract, Gasol has the opportunity to improve his recent reputation from a basketball standpoint. The Lakers, having lost their future to the Houston Rockets and already being counted out by nearly everyone, will only be able to make noise in the playoff race if Gasol experiences a resurgence.