Marc Gasol provided much-needed alterations on the offensive and defensive end for the Toronto Raptors through their championship run. His IQ, mentality and skill set made the Raptors first ever title more than just a possibility.
Marc Gasol has had quite the career, from Olympic medals to Defensive Player of the year, the 2019 NBA Championship ring will be the icing on the cake. How does the addition of an NBA title with the Toronto Raptors affect the legacy of the now 34-year-old center?
It took a few games but once the chemistry was built, the Toronto Raptors team looked like a championship caliber team. The mindset and playing mentality were hungry, forceful and confident.
Marc Gasol provided the minor tweaks that were needed within both the Raptors offensive and defensive end to come out on top.
A Mental Game
Kyle Lowry provided a mentality on the defensive end to take charges and claw at the opposing team. This was similar to the mentality that Gasol brought. The mentality, that was only solidified during his time with the Memphis Grizzlies “Grit and Grind” era, to dig in on both ends and to win games by whatever means necessary was energizing for the rest of the team.
Gasol kept the rhythm of the Raptors offense flowing effectively. He took the shots he liked but then would give up his own good looks for better ones. When he was on the floor there was a flow and a mindset that had everyone looking for the best shot possible.
The Raptors offense began clicking much more. It relied less on the Kawhi Leonard isolation approach and much more on ball movement, running the pick and roll, and looking for the open man.
Gasol was a pillar in a more team-oriented and chemistry-driven approach with his ability to orchestrate the offense and hit the open man with ease. During the playoff run, Gasol provided the Raptors an X-factor that is hard to come by and this came with the limitations he placed on the opposing teams.
He was the mind that Toronto needed in the locker room to calm the younger players but also motivate them. He trusted in his team to make shots and this gave those younger players such as Pascal Siakam, Norman Powell, and Fred VanVleet the confidence to do so.
Playoff Production
During the playoffs, Gasol limited the opposing team through his grind it out defensive mentality. He restricted opposing All-Star centers, Nikola Vucevic, and Joel Embiid, during the first two rounds with strong defense that resulted in a significant reduction in their field goal percentage average compared to the regular season averages.
Vucevic’s field goal percentage dropped from 51.8-percent to 36-percent in the first round. While Embiid saw a reduction of 9.2-percent in his field goal percentage.
The limitation of Embiid’s production around the rim and mid-range reduced the amount of sway and momentum that the Philadelphia 76ers gain from Embiid’s highlight plays. The 76ers feed off those plays as we saw with Game 3’s Embiid antics.
Later in the playoffs, Gasol shined in his ability to rotate and provide help defense and rim protection to minimize the effectiveness of dribble drives and slashers. These rotations and close-outs forced shot clock violations and numerous contested shots.
There were comments and views noting Gasol to have had a lackluster performance in the Finals. But throughout the series, Gasol averaged 12 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 44.7-percent from the field. His production forced the Warriors to stretch their defense which gave more real estate to the rest of the Raptors to operate on the offensive end.
A Marc Gasol Legacy
There is no way to denounce the role that Gasol had on the Raptors. Marc’s positioning and rotations have disrupted the offense of every playoff opponent.
Gasol will forever be known as the heart and soul of the Memphis Grizzlies during his ten year stretch including a Defensive Player of the Year, winning them their first playoff game and All-star selections.
With the addition of a title, Gasol’s legacy will show how important the defensive center was to the legendary Raptors playoff run. It was the plays that don’t show up on the stat sheet that highlights the genius that is Marc Gasol.