Title: Raptors notebook: Marc Gasol’s offensive role and early quarantine impressions
Date: July 12, 2020
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I wrote about Marc Gasol having a bigger role in the Raptors’ offense when they return, plus some other notes from the first few days of the NBA bubble.
Growing up right on the Mississippi side of the border, Terence Davis II wasn’t too far from Memphis when Marc Gasol was at his very best.
In 2012-13 and again in 2014-15, Gasol received down-ballot MVP votes, making the All-NBA second and first teams, respectively, in those seasons, with a defensive player of the year award in 2013 as icing. And while Gasol’s legacy is one with a heavy dose of defence, international success and a later-career, lower-usage role with the NBA champion Toronto Raptors, Gasol’s offence was also a large part of his peak. From 2014-15 to 2017-18, he used more than a quarter of the Grizzlies’ possessions when he was on the floor, averaging 17.8 points and 4.1 assists while leveraging a rare combination of post play, emerging shooting and elite passing to float an otherwise middling Memphis attack.
When Gasol was in his prime as an offensive weapon, Davis had a close look. And so when he raves — when he warns — about how good Gasol looks, it warrants attention.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 