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FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.Marc Gasol is svelt. No lie. Gasol spent the summer running up mountains in Spain. I've never run up a mountain anywhere, much less mountains in Spain. You always hear stories about players losing weight coming into camp, but Gasol's slimming is evident. He doesn't look like the same player. The big knock on him last season was that he lacked explosiveness. So Gasol shed 25-30 pounds to improve his speed and agility. It was a wise move by Gasol, who will fight for playing time with Zach Randolph and Hasheem Thabeet. But when you get down to it, if the Grizzlies are going to make significant progress this season, Gasol will have to be a large part of that journey.
Last year, Gasol cleared a specifically challenging conditioning test in 62 seconds. His coach wanted him to hit 60. This year, he cleared it in 58. Being able to get up and down the floor could be huge for Gasol as Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins has promised to make this a running club. With Randolph expected to do most of the post work, Gasol would do well to hustle and fill in the lanes as a running big man.
The biggest advantage to the new lean look for Gasol may be his endurance, which he said was an issue last year. A look at Gasol's per 36-minute numbers (13.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 2.3 turnovers) show a picture of a solid rookie season. But perusing the game logs, you see the sun and the shadow a lot. This wasn't a case of a rookie coming in, putting his token 13 and then heading on his way. His season high was 30, but he also hit 27 twice, and 20+ four more times. His ceiling is obviously higher than his stats would suggest, but he's also unlikely to make that ceiling his average. If he can develop more consistency he should be able to stave off Thabeet (who will likely struggle with the adjustment to the NBA), and develop his game.
Gasol's post work is actually one of the stronger parts of his game. He shows the same kind of footwork and touch that his older brother does, but combines it with a physical approach that you could call downright nasty. His passing from the high block could be huge this season. With Michael Conley's shooting improving and O.J. Mayo taking the next step (along with Allen Iverson zipping in and out of lanes, and if he miraculously decides not to absorb all the possessions), using Gasol as a lynchpin would provide a wrinkle that accentuates the strongest components of the Grizzlies' offense.
This is all contingent on Grizzlies' management and coaching staff realizing what they have in Gasol, which is not evident considering they drafted Thabeet and traded for Randolph. The likely scenario is that the Grizzlies will look for Gasol to provide a body on defense and as a complementary piece. Which is, honestly, a huge waste of his potential, and perfectly within the guidelines of Grizzlies policy.
Defensively, Gasol provides terrific length and a solid frame. Even with the new slimmer model, Gasol's still capable of being a truck. And with his experience in Spain, he plays with a high basketball IQ, which the Grizzlies certainly need.
If you're a fan of the Memphis Grizzlies and you want what's best for your franchise, your hopes should lie with the development of O.J. Mayo, Mike Conley, and Marc Gasol. If given the chance, Gasol can develop into a quality starter for a contending club. Hopefully he'll be able to develop enough to keep his time on the floor and stave off the other high-hype, high-risk options in Memphis.
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