Memphis Grizzlies: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 season opener

3. Marc Gasol will orchestrate a lot of offense

Bigs that can pass like Gasol are rare, which is why the Grizzlies made a concerted effort to feature him early in the shot clock. Several possessions saw him receive the ball in the post and pass to shooters spread around the perimeter. The threat of Gasol passing also opens up the offense for his shot, which just wasn’t falling Wednesday night (2-for-11). He’s shot a career average of 48.7 percent from the floor, so that should regress back towards the mean.

His assists per game have steadily improved throughout his career, so it shouldn’t be surprising to see that trend continue this season based on what we saw Wednesday night. Teams are generally phasing out traditional bigs, but Gasol is talented enough to avoid that trend, similar to the Denver Nuggets‘ Nikola Jokic. While Conley is a good passer, Gasol could be this team’s best passer if he is featured enough.

Big Spain has good post moves and has continued to develop his offense with time, which is where his passing improvements have come from. There was reportedly tension between Gasol and former coach David Fizdale before his firing last year, which led to Bickerstaff becoming the interim and now full-time head coach. Bickerstaff used him a lot in the season opener and last season, so it won’t be surprising to see that continue as we press forward.