Memphis Grizzlies: 5 goals for Marc Gasol in 2017-18

5: Stay on the court

Gasol is set to turn 33 in January, and has a history of missing fairly large chunks of time with significant injury. Those ailments have followed a strange pattern, occurring in all of the even numbered years of his career. That could be sheer coincidence, or it could be a result of the fact that Gasol played in at least 80 of the Grizzlies’ games in every season prior to those in which he sustained a serious injury.

He played in only 74 games last year though, and that could go a long way towards breaking the cycle in the upcoming season. Coach David Fizdale and the Grizzlies’ staff will have a meaningful role to play here. Gasol averaged 34.2 minutes per game last year. If Memphis can get that number a little closer to 30.0, and find games to sneak Gasol a bit of rest without compromising their chances of winning, it could pay major dividends over the course of the season, and on the back end of Gasol’s career.

The trouble here is that the Grizzlies will likely need Gasol on the court as much as possible to keep winning games. Finding a balance between getting him rest and remaining competitive may be tricky, but it’s a necessary reality. Gasol is getting old (in NBA terms), and he needs to be managed accordingly.

This is all a bit opaque, so let’s get to some firm metrics. I’m setting the goal for Gasol at 75 games, averaging 31.3 minutes per night. That total number of games played should allow for several days of rest, plus a bit of wiggle room should smaller injuries arise. As for the minutes target, it’s what Tim Duncan averaged the year he turned 33. He was an All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive selection that year, so it seemed like an okay benchmark.