Chicago Bulls: The Renovation of Pau Gasol
By Shane Young
The dejection of Pau Gasol began in 2011. Coming off the horrific sweep in the second round via the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers were destined to reanimate their roster before the 2011-12 season.
It started with a new coach — Mike Brown — taking over for a legend. It progressed with Mitch Kupchak going wild on the phones, acquiring Chris Paul for Los Angeles for a total of one hour. As the deal was supposed to send Gasol to the Houston Rockets — after he led both the 2009 and 2010 championship teams in win shares — people were disgusted.
“Disgust” didn’t define that moment for fans and supporters of the Lakers, however. They were supposed to get, in return, the greatest point guard running the courts. Nonetheless, it was distasteful for everyone in Gasol’s camp, realizing that he was blatantly disrespected for his contributions since 2007-08. If it wasn’t for Gasol, Kobe Bryant doesn’t make three straight Finals appearances from 2008 to 2010.
Over the next two seasons in Hollywood, Gasol was forced to learn an important lesson; the NBA is nothing but a business, and the phrase “What have you done for me lately” stands stronger than any other league.
Trade rumors swirled for over 20 months. Injuries kept plaguing Gasol’s remaining time in Los Angeles, before his contract expired. Injuries to the plantar fascia, calf, and even vertigo limited his availability for the Lakers. On top of it all, the downward spiral happened with Gasol around the same time Bryant was trying to recover from his own set of injuries.
Gasol had to learn to play without emotion for off-the-court issues (the many that were happening) and adjust to a completely different style of play. As any member of the Los Angeles community would know, head coach Mike D’Antoni wasn’t a close friend of Gasol’s. They would exhibit a respectable relationship on the court, just for public purposes. Behind the scenes, nothing in Gasol’s mind vindicated D’Antoni as the right coach for the Lakers, or himself.
In the last two years of Gasol’s tenure with the Lakers, the team only won 72 combined games. That’s an average of 36, which is far under the bar Los Angeles holds for their treasured franchise. One of those years (2012-13) resulted in a first round playoff sweep by the Spurs, and the other ended with an early vacation without the postseason.
While the production improved during Gasol’s year as the No. 1 option during 2013-14, his morale was clearly doleful and unenthused. The thought of being on a lottery-bound team, at age 33, isn’t attractive for someone that’s had a history of playoff luxury.
After Gasol’s contract expired in summer 2014, with Carmelo Anthony rejecting the Lakers’ offer and re-upping with Phil Jackson in New York, Gasol had a list full of opportunities.
Chicago, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, or a final, brutal run with Los Angeles.
Not intrigued by sticking around with uncertainty, an old backcourt, or incompetent management, Gasol hit the road to the Windy City.
“My biggest message to him was to make sure you enjoy the process,” Bryant said during the summer. “Don’t stress yourself out.”
It’s a lot easier to stay away from stress in Chicago. That’s why Gasol left for the Eastern Conference. Being able to move back towards his traditional role of a second option offensively (sometimes even a third option) takes the pressure off Gasol’s shoulders.
After Bryant’s lower body injuries, nobody (including Gasol) could’ve been overly-confident that he would return to form. Nobody was confident he would be able to stave off more injuries as the months went by, and that’s not something you can ask Gasol to sit and be patient for.
His time for another title was closing, and he made the best move to maximize his aging game.
This season with Chicago, he’s reinvented himself. With a coach that’s been asserted as the best defensive mind in basketball — Tom Thibodeau — he’s been able to play freely, stick to his true position, and win games.
More importantly, Gasol’s been uplifted emotionally and mentally, having a new wave of confidence and a jovial attitude since joining forces with the Bulls.
His production this season is actually just related to his increased minutes, but there’s more to it. While he’s scoring 18.2 points per game and blocking 2.0 shots, the main reason is because of Thibodeau’s persona of playing his starters until their completely winded.
Per 36 minutes, his production last season was actually better in some aspects. His scoring has dropped from 19.9 to 18.3, his assists dropping from 3.8 to 2.3, and his field goal percentage has remained relatively the same. He’s still shooting roughly 48 percent from the floor, which is sixth overall in power forwards that play at least 30 minutes a night.
However, the Spaniard is actually looking like the Spaniard on the court again. Who would’ve guessed, that in a season where his brother (Marc Gasol) started off with MVP-caliber play, Pau would turn back the clock.
It’s nearly impossible to predict what the lineup will be for Chicago each night, because of their injury-plagued point guard for the last two years. Also, it’s due to Joakim Noah‘s knee and ankle giving him problems this season. Nonetheless, Gasol has laced up for 23 of the Bulls’ 26 games thus far, and he appears to be moving more energetically than he did in Los Angeles.
When the lineup of Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Gasol, and Noah is on the court, however, it’s a top five dangerous lineup in the league. While Golden State’s new lineup this year under Steve Kerr is the epitome of Planet of the Apes abusing society, Chicago’s is one of the top out East.
With their most used five-man lineup (Rose, Butler, Dunleavy, Gasol, Noah), the Bulls are ridiculously better than they are with any other lineup that’s seen huge minutes.
Their original starters are a net +13.2 in points, +6.8 in assists, +5.3 in rebounds, and a +8.4 in defensive rebounding percentage against their opponents. With Hinrich replacing Rose, the lineup is a -8.9 in net points, -9.3 in assists, -1.5 in rebounds, and just a +1.0 in defensive rebounding percentage.
On the surface, all that truly tells you is the Bulls are benefiting from having Rose on the floor, not Hinrich.
But, it ventures to reveal the truth about why they benefit more. The Bulls’ starters flow better, play more efficiently, and are more dynamic with Rose as the point guard.
The most evident is Gasol, who thrives when he’s with Rose on the court.
Behind Russell Westbrook, there’s no more explosive guard than Rose. It includes transition or halfcourt offense. Although Rose has taken 39 percent of his shots from 3-point range this season, he’s still on the attack and makes defenses shift.
When Rose is assaulting single coverage and takes a defending guard to the baseline, big men have to cut him off majority of the time:
Above, you see the way Atlanta defends point guard drives. Jeff Teague, while entering his own level of stardom with the Hawks, knows he probably can’t contain Rose in a single-coverage drive from along the baseline. Thus, Al Horford has to take two or three side-steps toward the baseline to cut off the rim.
It allows Rose, who sometimes forces shots, to give up the ball to Horford’s man. Here, Gasol is in arguably the most interesting (and dangerous) spot in basketball. Triple threat position — where you can either pass, dribble, or shoot — is harmful in the mid-range area, especially when you have a defender rushing at you.
Gasol lets his mid-range jumper fly, which happened to be the perfect play out of Rose’s double team. But, notice how he could have delivered a pump fake (if he wanted) and got into the paint for a layup opportunity. Gasol has an unlimited amount of freedom and opportunity with Rose on the floor as his general.
The maturation of Jimmy Butler as a scorer as reinvigorated this Chicago offense to a new level this season, as well. In addition, it’s helped free the way for Gasol even more. When there’s two lethal guards you have to watch out for in Chicago’s starting lineup — Butler and Rose — it creates so much diversion that people take their eyes off the bigs:
Again, we have a baseline drive (above). This time, it’s Butler as the slashing guard, being defended by Tim Hardaway Jr. Not being the most competent defender, Hardaway doesn’t have the patience and bites on Butler’s pump fake. Derek Fisher likely told Hardaway and the rest of the Knicks that Butler is no joke this season, shooting 49 percent from the floor, and told his guards to play up close without allowing space. Say hello to an open offense.
As soon as Butler gets past the defender, you can’t expect one person to slide over and get a stop at the rim. Amar’e Stoudamire realizes he has to come help at the rim, and it forces him to slide completely off Gasol. Being parked on the left elbow, Gasol understands this is the perfect lane to cut through towards the hoop. It results in an easy slam, with New York’s defense wondering what in God’s creation happened.
When there’s too many options to defend, one simple mishap brings you into a meltdown.
Regardless if it’s a dunk or a layup chance, Gasol has been prolific in the paint this year. He’s attempting 6.5 shots within the restricted area (five feet) this season, which is the seventh most out of all power forwards. With those attempts, he’s hitting 59.3 percent of them, which is right around where he was last season with the Lakers. However, his touches in the paint last year (only 5.3 shots per game in the restricted area) were a little limited with D’Antoni’s style of play.
Even if Rose is on the bench, Gasol still thrives in the screen-roll with Aaron Brooks at the handle. Against any defense, he’s a killer once he has the choice to either shoot or roll to the basket:
Notice how Gasol tries to screen Shane Larkin on both sides, but can’t get a strong body on him for Brooks to get free. When Brooks dishes off to Gasol after he notices the Knicks hedging and bringing help, Pau is extremely quick and decisive.
Samuel Dalembert (defending the pick-and-roll) has his feet all out of sorts and isn’t nearly quick enough to recover into solid defensive position. Gasol has been a pro since he was a teen, and recognizes those little bits. If Dalembert was in good position, he likely would’ve pulled up for a 15-foot jumper, or reset the ball along the perimeter for a better shot. Instead, he makes the perfect decision to take New York to the basket. He almost gets an And-1 out of it, but he’ll always settle for an easy bucket.
For a team that generally gets their points of jump shots, Chicago has been better in the pick-and-roll this season since acquiring Gasol. Per 82games.com, Chicago receives 50.5 points per game off jump shots alone, and only 24.5 from close-range attempts. To put it in perspective, the Golden State Warriors receive 49.3 points per game just off jumpers, while 22.9 per game come from close-range. Chicago is actually taking a healthy amount of jumpers, but also getting into the lane when they see fit.
The beautiful part about Gasol’s game is that he brings a different (and better) dimension to the team than Carlos Boozer did. He can actually make a play off the dribble, from the perimeter:
And the scary part is, you don’t have to be frightened about a wild shot going up, or a turnover most of the time. In Boozer’s case, it wouldn’t equal pretty results.
Gasol is also a larger part of this Chicago offense compared to what he was for Los Angeles. For the longest time, he wanted the Lakers to revert to their championship ways, where he would get the ball deeper inside the paint, not be expected to deliver the goods from the outside all the time. D’Antoni wasn’t the one to concur with that sentiment.
As a result, Gasol only received 5.2 “close touches per game” last season (per NBA.com). It ranked him just 29th in the league, which is uncalled for when he’s one of the most skilled offensive big men the game can provide. This season, the Bulls are giving him 7.9 “close touches per game,” which ranks him 6th overall.
A happier Spaniard, equals better and more efficient results.
However, the most significant reason we’re seeing a renovated Gasol this season is because of a different aspect.
It’s the flow of the offense when he’s on the floor with a title contending roster. It’s the unselfish, intelligent play-making he brings as a power forward.
In his 14th year in the NBA, Gasol has already been a part of the most complex and diverse offenses you could throw his way. Thus, it really is a blessing when you can install him into Thibodeau’s offense and let him get his teammates going. He’s three times the play-maker they used to have, and he’s showing it this season.
Gasol doesn’t even need to score to be effective in the offense, and he actually has a really low “points per touch” rating across the league:
Despite having such a high amount of touches per game in Chicago’s offense, Gasol scores just 0.259 points per touch. Out of most of the prominent frontcourt names out there, Gasol is near the bottom, as you see above. His own teammate, substitute Taj Gibson, even scores more points per touch than Gasol.
It’s a testament to Gasol and Tim Duncan‘s unselfishness in the later stages of their careers, and it’s also a reflection at just how good their offenses are around them. In Gasol’s case, it really proves how much the offense has revolved around him this season.
Off double teams from Rose or weird screen-roll action, Gasol is often the man they find when they need a score. Not only because of his ability to get off a shot anywhere, but also because of his stellar eye for finding teammates and helping them out:
It’s one reason why Taj Gibson has shot 5 percent better from the floor this season, as he has better talent around him when Thibodeau decides to play both of them at once.
Not to mention what it even does for Rose, who needs all the assistance and guidance he can get while trying to return to form. We’ve been saying he’s trying to “return to his old self” for the last three months, but he still hasn’t reached that point.
With Gasol mixed in this Bulls group, Rose has more chances to get free to the basket, and more confidence will come when he’s getting better looks:
There’s arguably not a smarter power forward in the game, or better passer from the position than Gasol, and he proves it with those kind of plays in halfcourt sets. Making extremely quick decisions to dump off a bounce pass or finding someone in a mismatch on the block, he’s been special to watch in a plethora of offenses.
Defensively, there’s going to be a lot of regression since he’s 34 years old, and much slower on his legs. He can still thrive offensively because of his uncanny skills, but much of the defensive end relies on your quickness and toughness in one-on-one matchups. Gasol has seemed to have neither since the 2011 playoffs, and I think we could all agree there.
Using ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus-Minus figures (DRPM), Gasol is actually a hindrance on defense for the Bulls. His DRPM is currently -0.28, which places him 59th amongst all power forwards in the league. Not so good, and not so pleasant for Thibodeau’s eyes. Meanwhile, Gibson (Gasol’s backup) has posted a DRPM of +1.84, which ranks him 13th in all power forwards.
Sometimes, Thibodeau has a tough choice to make when it pertains to lineups because of that very reason. He acknowledges defense before anything, and this is easily the most fascinating storyline to watch as the playoffs near. What does Chicago do to ensure their competitiveness and balance on both ends of the floor?
If there’s one thing we didn’t see coming during the summer, it was a Pau Gasol resurrection.
Instead of suffering in agony and pity with the current Lakers, he made the correct move to enter the Windy City. He’ll have a chance to do something this season that Kobe Bryant won’t ever be able to do once more, before retirement: Put a fresh ring on his finger.
Given the way he’s purified the Bulls’ offense thus far, nobody should bet against it when May rolls around.