The Undervalued Marc Gasol: Memphis’ Subtle MVP Candidate
By jasaad
As a highly skilled center of low renown, Marc Gasol‘s value to his team has gone vastly under the radar. He’s likely the most overlooked big in the NBA, as he garners few All-Star votes and meager jersey sale revenues annually.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that he plays in one of the league’s newest and smallest markets. Whatever the answer may be, there’s no denying that Gasol’s worth is immense for his squad, perhaps even more so than any of his fellow centers currently in the league.
Jordan Ritter Con wrote his theory as to why fans seemingly underrate the big man in a recent Grantland piece:
"“Marc doesn’t get enough credit because his excellence is difficult to quantify. It’s evident within the context of his team but impossible to isolate and highlight.”"
In fact, it’s characteristically fitting that the Spaniard doesn’t amass flashy individual stats and gains little recognition across the league. The NBA has recently shifted into an egocentric culture where individual accolades are regarded more highly than the old school regime of team bonding.
Selflessly instead, Gasol’s adroitness and willingness to sacrifice for the betterment of the team were instilled in his game during his basketball career overseas. Combine that with his versatility and keen mastery of the game, and you’ve got an invaluable center who’s abilities are nearly impossible for coaches to teach — though they try.
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Defensively, Gasol gets out of the rebounding position regularly to help play defense due to his ability to read offensive sets and plays. He strategically boxes out in a fashion that allows his team — most notably Zach Randolph — to gobble up rebounds.
Additionally, Memphis’ stifling defense routinely allows their opponents to shoot among the least amount of shots per game, per NBA.com/Stats. This reduces rebounding opportunities for the Grizzlies, and it gives the allusion that Gasol is merely a mediocre rebounder in the eyes of raw stats devotees.
On offense, Marc Gasol’s point totals certainly aren’t mind-blowing, but it’s his decision-making and passing dexterity from the post that allows him to ameliorate the abilities of each of his teammates — thus enabling the offense to blossom into a well-oiled machine.
His versatility gives Memphis numerous options offensively when he catches the ball in the high post, where he can either facilitate or shoot.
Consequently, these traits diminishes Gasol’s numbers on the stat sheet, as opposed to the belligerent big men who heedlessly crash the boards and power home a monstrous slam; however, while Gasol’s numbers may not hold massive weight to fantasy owners (although he’s one of the few centers who will contribute to the assists department and won’t single-handedly demolish your free throw percentage), his individual stats fail to encapsulate the unique impact that he has on the Grizzlies.
Consider this: Memphis has gone 43-15 thus far in the 2014 calendar year. According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, this is the best record by any team during the current year.
Memphis has the NBA's best regular-season record during the 2014 calendar year (43-15), two games better than Spurs, Clippers and Rockets.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) November 8, 2014
When the Spaniard went down with a torn MCL in November of last year, the Grizzlies were exposed on both ends of the court. Memphis had a losing record of 10-13 during the six week stretch that Gasol missed.
Once the big man stepped back on the court on Jan. 14, the Grizzlies cruised to an impressive record of 33-13 to finish the season.
It’s unsurprising that the return of Gasol vastly improved the play of the team as a whole; many of their offensive and defensive schemes are predicated on his versatile skill-set and sharp mind, and the Grizzlies are statistically better on both ends of the court when Gasol is on the floor rather than on the sidelines.
He calls out rotations and alignments defensively and maximizes his teammates offensively with his unique post-passing ability. The do-it-all center isn’t simply a bespoke brute; he is not limited to vehemently grabbing rebounds, blocking shots, or relying on his teammates to set him up for dunks.
Gasol is one of the few big men who utilizes his basketball acumen to better his teammates with his help-conscious and versatile defense in addition to his double-team worthy excellence in the post.
The Grizzlies are currently off to a solid 6-1 record to start the season. Should Memphis sustain their winning-ways for the duration of the season — considering Gasol’s extensive value to the team — the undervalued Gasol just may find himself hoisting the MVP award come May.