The Misunderstanding of Marc Gasol: Part 1
From abstract to cubism, Pablo Picasso deconstructed the meaning of beauty in art. When filming The Godfather, Marlon Brando routinely showed up late on set and put cotton balls in his mouth. He ended up winning an Oscar and was the standard for method acting for the next several decades.
Last season, the Lakers won a championship built on size and athleticism from the big-man position. Javale McGee, Dwight Howard, and even Anthony Davis were all stupendous athletes for their sizes, setting a standard of expectations of big men for Laker fans.
Marc Gasol defies that conventional wisdom. He offers intrinsic skills that go beyond your typical box score and that standard archetype. Like his fellow Spaniard in Picasso, Marc is unusual in his methods but effective in his execution. In Part 1, I am going to dive into Gasol’s offense and what makes him uniquely valuable. Part 2 will come out on a later date, so please subscribe if you want to stay updated.
Passing
Marc Gasol is one of the greatest passing big men in NBA history. While he is certainly passed his prime, that elite basketball IQ, anticipation, and awareness never go away.
Big Spain averages 3.5 assists per 36 minutes on a measly 10.6% usage rate. When he gets the ball, that allows players to cut and get easy layups. This opens up the offense and creates more flow and ball movement.
This is why many players are very efficient playing off Gasol. Here are some players’ effective field goal percentage with Marc on the floor versus off the floor.
Dennis Schröder: 53% eFG% with Marc on vs 41.5% eFG% with Marc off
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: 54.5% on vs 65.4% off
LeBron James: 58.6% on vs 54.5% off
Anthony Davis: 58.8% on vs 51.4% off
Kyle Kuzma: 63.2% on vs 47.3% off
Wesley Matthews: 60% on vs 50% off
Markieff Morris: 61.5% on vs 46.1% off
Marc Gasol doesn’t just get players easy shots. He also takes the load off LeBron James. The King has just a 28.4% usage rate with Gasol on the floor versus 33.2% when Marc sits. Last season, the Lakers’ offense relied heavily on LeBron’s shot creation because they did not have anyone else who could generate offense with the ball besides Davis and Rajon Rondo.
This season, Gasol and Schröder in the starting lineup allow LeBron to handle the ball less and add wrinkles to the offense.
These types of passes are just special and Gasol has been making them all season.
Marc is also quite good at passing out of short rolls. While he is not the vertical finisher McGee and Howard are, he is a very smart decision-maker when putting the ball on the floor.
Since LeBron’s shooting off the dribble has been excellent this season, the big (Robin Lopez) comes up to hedge on the ball-screen. Gasol rolls to the basket and LeBron finds him. Because LeBron drew two defenders (his and the big man), he flings it to Gasol who has a 3-on-2.
Bertans drops down to take away Gasol’s layup. Russell Westbrook has to defend two men: Kuzma and Caruso. Russ rightfully chooses to take away Kuz’s corner 3 and leaves Caruso open. Gasol makes the right read. Caruso just needs to knock down the open shot.
Lastly, a massively underrated part of Gasol is his outlet passing. When Gasol gets the rebound, he is so good at getting the Lakers into their transition offense.
The Lakers actually have a slightly higher pace with Gasol on the floor (100.28 possessions per 48 minutes) versus when he sits (99.75). While he may not get the assists for these types of possessions, it is so hard to have a good fast break without a good outlet passer.
3-Point Shooting/Spacing
Marc Gasol is a mediocre 3-point shooter (36.1% on 2.3 attempts per game), but his ability to hit the 3 is important to the offense because he pulls his defender away from the basket.
Watch below how Gasol goes to set the pick for LeBron who rejects the screen and drives to the rim. Marc staying at the 3-point line keeps the center (Moe Wagner) away from the basket.
Keeping the opposing team’s 5 away from the rim makes it easier for guys like LeBron, Schröder, and others to drive and get layups. The same works for the cuts when Gasol is at the top of the arc. Scroll up to the first clip posted above where he finds Schröder and pulls KAT away from the rim.
Now, when the defense adjusts and cheats off Gasol, he is still willing to take the open 3. He started off the season a little tentative on these open looks, but he has been more aggressive as of late.
Here, Gasol sets a ball-screen for LeBron who rejects the screen because the Wizards are icing it. Rui Hachimura shades him away from the screen and Moe Wagner is in drop coverage. LeBron passes the ball to Gasol who misses the open 3, but taking that shot is important. Gasol is shooting 37.5% on “wide open 3s” (nearest defender 6+ feet away) so this is a good shot.
Back to drop coverage, this is built to defend the drive from the ball-handler and contain the roll-man. However, it is susceptible to a jumper from the screener if he decides to pop. Having a big man who is a threat to pop opens up so much of the offense for the ball-handler. Below is what happens when you continue to leave Gasol open against a drop coverage.
Summary
Despite averaging a paltry 4.5 points per game, Marc Gasol’s offensive impact goes beyond the box score numbers. While he does not necessarily create his own shot, he creates shots for others which is why most players on the team score more efficiently when he’s on the floor. He also provides adequate spacing and can hit the open 3, which allows him to thrive off the ball-handler (LeBron or Dennis).
In Part 2, I will dive into Marc’s defense and bust some myths about the former defensive player of the year. Watching Gasol film is great if you are a basketball nerd. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you soon with Part 2!