Toronto Raptors: Player grades based off preseason expectations

Marc Gasol: C-

This one hurts the most. It has nothing to do with the belief that Marc Gasol has had a bad season because he really hasn’t. His passing his absolutely phenomenal, and he still is the anchor for one of the best defenses in the league, when he plays.

That’s the key word, when he plays. It’s definitely difficult to have a great year when you miss 28 of a possible 64 games. Especially an aging vet like Gasol who has to take time getting back into the swing of things when returning from an injury.

Gasol’s hamstring did not treat him well this year, and cost him a large number of games in two separate stints.

Heading into the season, I did expect Gasol to take on a bit more of a scoring role. With the loss of a player, the caliber of Kawhi Leonard, someone had to step up, typically multiple people do.

Gasol is a proven scorer throughout his career. He has averaged double-digit points per game every season of his career, except for his two half-seasons with the Raptors. It’s fantastic watching Gasol thread the needle to a cutter and running the show from the top of the key, but sometimes it would be great to watch Gasol take an open shot without hesitation.

He’s shooting at an efficient rate this season, with shooting splits of .419/.402/.722, but sometimes Raptors fans just wish he would shoot more.

He plays his role, and he does it effectively, but sometimes he could be slightly more aggressive. His injury woes, despite not being his fault, haven’t helped him this season either.