Toronto Raptors: Examining potential return dates for Marc Gasol

Philadelphia 76ers (Mar 18)

Let’s, for a second, assume that Joel Embiid is the NBA’s modern-day Superman (sorry Dwight). With that being the case, then Marc Gasol, without a doubt, is kryptonite.

Toronto’s big man in the middle has given Embiid fits every time the two have been matched up – back on Nov. 25, Gasol famously held Embiid to zero points, the first time the Philly big had been shutout in his career. Through a mixture of veteran savvy and old-fashion physicality, Gasol has rendered Embiid useless every time the two bigs have collided.

Like Gasol, Embiid currently is dealing with an injury. But at this point, it appears as though he’ll be fine once Mar. 18 arrives, and Toronto, while in no rush, would be best served to have Gasol available for that contest.

There exists a real possibility that he’ll be ready before, but a road return in Philly remains a logical target. Close to three weeks out, it gives Gasol plenty of time to ramp up activity in practice before hitting the floor for a game.

Serge Ibaka has played remarkably, starting in place of Gasol, but he isn’t big enough to contend with Embiid for 48 minutes. As effective as Toronto was handcuffing Karl-Anthony Towns – without both Gasol and Ibaka – shutting Embiid down is an entirely different story. Apart from Gasol, nobody in the league has been able to consistently keep the boisterous center quiet in between the lines.

Should Gasol miss the game, it will make matching up with both Embiid and Al Horford more difficult for Toronto, though, winning sans Gasol remains well within the realm of possibility.