Ron Turenne/Getty Images
Age at Start of 2019-20: 34
2018-19 Per-Game Stats: 15.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.2 blocks, 53.8 true shooting percentage
Advanced Metrics: 17.2 PER, 110.96 TPA, 3.08 RPM
Contract Status: $25.6 million player option for 2019-20
Marc Gasol is, quite literally, just what the Toronto Raptors ordered.
“He probably brings to this team something which they never had,” assistant coach Sergio Scariolo told CBS Sports’ James Herbert. “A type of player who never was in this team. He basically is a great passer, somebody who sees the next play a split-second before most of the opponents. And most of the teammates as well. Most of the coaches, sometimes.”
Gasol is living up to that hype. Toronto’s offense has mostly stalled this season whenever Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard catch a breather, but his vision gives new life to the second unit. He’s averaging more assists per 36 minutes than he did with the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Raptors are pumping in over 112 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court without one of their other two stars, according to Cleaning the Glass.
This is all great news in the short term. Gasol’s outlook beyond this season is more confusing.
Next year will be his age-35 season, and he already showed signs of wear and tear in Memphis. He’s knocking in shots at a nice clip since joining Toronto, but his overall efficiency has been on the comedown since the beginning of December.
Remove his age and previously slumping offense from the table, and general uncertainty still creeps its way into the picture.
Will he pick up his player option? Will the Raptors re-sign him if he doesn’t, assuming Leonard stays? Will they continue to view him as a second-unit anchor—he has started one game in Toronto—who seldom crosses the 25-minute threshold?
Where might Gasol end up if he leaves or gets traded? Does he retain the mobility to stay on the floor in postseason crunch-time situations? Is he even suited for a larger role at this point?
Whatever becomes of Gasol next year, however effective he might remain, we’ve probably seen the last of his heyday.
Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com or Basketball Reference and accurate leading into games on March 1. Salary and cap-hold information via Basketball Insiders and RealGM.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale) and listen to his Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by SLC Dunk’s Andrew Bailey.
from Viral News Updates https://ift.tt/2TaT7Aw
0 Comments