Toronto Raptors: Can Marc Gasol be trusted to stay healthy?
By Jason Mills
Marc Gasol has lost significant time this season due to injury, but the Toronto Raptors can trust him to be healthy in the postseason.
Marc Gasol can be trusted by the Toronto Raptors to stay healthy during the 2020 postseason. At the moment, Gasol is recuperating from a recurring hamstring injury that in total has seen him miss 21 games, as he has played and started just 35 of Toronto’s 56 games this season.
Splitting the center duties with Serge Ibaka when healthy, Gasol has been an integral last line of defense for an outstanding Toronto Raptors unit. His positioning, ability to alter shots and rebounding make this former defensive player of the year invaluable to the success of the Raptors’ defensive schemes.
Offensively, Gasol does not provide much in the way of scoring, averaging 7.8 points per game. However, Gasol is a great passer out of the center position and can space the floor by making 40 percent of the three-point attempts he takes.
The team has managed to amass a 41-15 record due to depth and despite a myriad of injuries. The roster is flawed as the Raptors lack size at the center and power forward positions. Therefore, if Gasol or Ibaka were to miss a significant number of games at the wrong time, the Raptors 2019/20 campaign could be derailed prematurely.
Chris Boucher has done a nice job of filling in at the center position when called upon. However, at 6-foot-9 and just 200 pounds, where Boucher electrifies with athleticism and energy some nights he will be overmatched physically.
Depth at the center position is a concern for the Raptors but Gasol staying healthy in the postseason shouldn’t be an issue until it is. Marc Gasol is a grizzled veteran who has managed the grind of the NBA for 13 years, the Raptors can manage Gasol’s minutes the rest of the season to keep him fresh for the playoffs along with his personal quest to stay healthy.