Toronto Raptors with the most to prove: Marc Gasol
The next player who has a lot to prove when the NBA returns is Marc Gasol. Ever since Gasol arrived in Toronto during last season’s trade deadline, he immediately became a valuable asset on both ends of the floor. Marc instantly became the center Raptor fans hoped Jonas Valanciunas would develop into. A player who could be a solid defender, a player who can score from the low post or stretch the floor, and a player who can play make and create opportunities for others.
Last season, although Gasol’s numbers were not as good as his Memphis days, we saw the impact he gave the Raptors as a defender and playmaker. Which really gave the team the extra edge they needed to complete their championship run. So although Marc is getting older we saw he can still be a valuable contributor on a championship team.
This season, however, has not been a great one for Marc. He spent the majority of the season battling nagging injuries causing him to miss 28 games. Even when Marc was on the floor although his defense and playmaking were still solid, the problem became his decrease in scoring abilities. Marc is averaging the lowest points per game of his career of roughly eight per game, not to mention he is shooting an abysmal 42 percent from the field this season.
The lack of scoring ability has hurt the Raptors to some degree as it allows defenses to play off Marc and put more pressure on players like Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry. To put it simply, Marc just hasn’t been able to get it going this season and some of that can be attributed to injuries, but for the most part, Marc isn’t the same player he used to be. Marc is currently 35 years old and can no longer be the dominant post player who can give you 15 to 20 points a night.
But as we saw last season, Marc does not need to be 15 to 20 point per game scorer to contribute. All he really needs to do is remain healthy enough to continue to be productive as a playmaker and defender, but also be able to score about 10 points a game efficiently.
This is why with the NBA set to return in July, Marc should have plenty of time to rest and heal his body so he can come back and be the Marc Gasol we all know he can be. But he needs to prove that he can still be more effective on the offensive end of the floor besides just passing and occasionally shooting wide-open 3’s. Not to mention Marc is playing in on the last year of his contract, which means he needs to prove to teams he is worth signing for another big contract.
Overall, with the NBA set to resume play very soon it is likely we get to see a much better Marc Gasol as the Raptors prepare for another deep playoff run.