Marc Gasol has been a great acquisition since being traded to the Toronto Raptors, but it’s been his defense in the playoffs that has made it all the more worthwhile. This is exactly why the Raptors traded for him.
If you want to win a title in the NBA, you have to roll the dice. Back in February, that’s exactly what the Toronto Raptors did.
Before the Marc Gasol trade, the Raptors were a great team. They had two legitimate options at center with Jonas Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka, they had depth at guard and a nice helping of wing players who can knock down shots.
They wanted more, though. The ambition always remained a title, that’s the end game. As such, Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster felt they needed to make one more move. They had to roll the metaphorical dice and come up big.
And they did, in acquiring a two-time All-NBA and one-time Defensive Player of the Year, they were set to make a real run. Gasol added an element of a player who made the players around him better. A great passer, deft shooter and all-around great defender, Gasol has stood out for the Raptors since meeting up with the team.
It’s been his defense in the playoffs that has stood out though. Gasol has been matched up with Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic. A crafty, strong and offensively versatile big, and the focal point of a Magic team looking to make an impact in the playoffs.
For the most part, Vucevic has been stifled in the first three games of the series. That’s primarily been down to the defense of Marc Gasol, who has made life difficult for Vooch. He’s held him to 7-21 shooting, along with nine turnovers and only eight assists.
Overall, though, Gasol has been immense defensively. Despite being a little slower on his feet, Gasol still has quick hands and the ability to read and situation. In the clip above, he immediately recognizes Vucevic on the short roll and cuts out the bounce pass from D.J. Augustin.
No offense to Valanciunas, but those aren’t the sorts of defensive plays the team was used to with him. His reputation as a poor defender was a little exaggerated at times, but either way, he’s no comparison to Gasol. Its plays like the one above, that he has has been making throughout his whole career.
Gasol can use his strength and quick hands to defend down low, and players trying to force shots over him will struggle. We’ve already seen him demonstrate his ability to steal the ball, and the numbers back it up, as he’s averaging 2.7 steals per game across three games. If he carries on defending Vucevic for two more games, those numbers will stay pretty much the same. He has his number.
Overall, the team is better when Gasol is on the court. He’s posted a 98.2 defensive rating so far with an overall plus-15.3 net rating and has an incredible true-shooting percentage of 74.2-percent. He’s only averaging 10.3 points per game but his efficiency is incredible and on top of that, he’s adding 3.3 assists per game.
It’s moments like now, where Gasol steps up, that make the trade for him all the more worthwhile. Saying goodbye to fan favorites is never easy, but seeing Gasol excel makes the transition that bit easier. So far, he’s proving the Raptors right.