The Memphis Grizzlies have been a team that has had championship aspirations the past few seasons. They’ve been adding solid pieces to their team and have improved their depth the last couple years with the additions of Vince Carter, Courtney Lee, Kosta Koufos, Beno Udrih and other players in the draft.
In the deep Western Conderence, one thing the Grizzlies have been missing is a true superstar that could take over a game offensively every night. Mike Conley has become a very good point guard in a conference stacked with superstar point guards and Zach Randolph is a solid offensive player, but they need someone else to step up if they want to contend for a title. Marc Gasol has been asked to score more and said he wants to be more aggressive.
After failing to average 15 points per game in his first seven seasons, Gasol is off to a torrid start, averaging 25 points a game on a career high 17 field goal attempts. The Grizzlies are off to a 3-0 start and although it’s still early, he looks very comfortable in his new role as a No. 1 option in the prime of his career.
Gasol has a ridiculous usage rate of 29.8 percent so far this season, on par with superstars’ usage rates. Only five players had a usage rate of over 29 percent last season – Russell Westbrook (33.5 percent), Kevin Durant (31.2 percent), DeMarcus Cousins (30.7 percent), and Carmelo Anthony (30.1 percent). The Grizzlies are committed to getting Gasol involved more and even though his scoring will most likely come down to earth as team defenses start to hone in on him, they seem to have found a winning formula.
Gasol being in a contract year is definitely a motivating factor as well. It looks like he will ultimately resign with the Grizzlies after building camaraderie with his teammates for years. Between deep playoff runs in Memphis the past few years and Zach Randolph signed on for at least a couple seasons, it should be enough to convince Gasol to stay.
There will be a lot of interest in Gasol from other teams too though. The New York Knicks are one team that is in desperate need of a center and Pau Gasol thinks he can possibly wind up in New York:
"“We’ll see what happens next year, what he decides. Hopefully he’ll have a strong year and all the options in the world, because he’s one of the top centers, interior players in the league, so any team would be fortunate to have him,” the 34-year-old Spaniard said of his younger brother, before the Bulls demolished the Knicks, 104-80, Wednesday night at the Garden. “It’s a personal decision. I talked to my brother enough about Phil that he knows what he brings to the table.”"
After a disappointing FIBA World Cup in Spain where Gasol failed to come through against France, he seems to be taking out his frustration on the NBA. Gasol looks very trim and the extra pounds could have been holding him back the past few seasons.
The Grizzlies have consistently been a top 10 defense the past few seasons but have been mediocre as a team offensively. Only three games in to the season, this trend appears to be continuing, ranking 22nd offensively and third on defense per 100 possessions. It’s still early but it might be difficult to overcome this lack of offense when it counts in the playoffs, but if Gasol can continue scoring over 20 a game, the Grizzlies may have found exactly what they’ve been looking for.