When Marc Gasol was traded to the Toronto Raptors during the NBA trade deadline, many thought that it would be a great fit for a team that is now looking to push for an NBA Finals appearance. While the team has been great, Gasol himself has had to deal with a variety of issues, including getting used to a new role on his team.
While Gasol has been extremely useful for the Raptors, head coach Nick Nurse has been flipping between starting centers, leaving Gasol in a situation that he never had to deal with in Memphis. For the 16-year veteran, patience has been the biggest thing for him.
“You understand the situation and you deal with whatever's best for the team,” Gasol said, via ESPN. “There's not going to be any complaints or negative vibes coming from me. The job is to do what's best for the team and we have to figure out what we have to do going forward. I know at least for the next few games, it's going to be consistent and I'm going to try to be consistent as well.
So far, Gasol has started more than half of his games with the Raptors, with 10 starts coming in 17 appearances. Still, his minutes are down to 24.5 per game, which are extremely low compared to the 30+ he was playing in Memphis throughout his career. Thankfully, Gasol seems to understand the nature of the team, and has no complaints. “I think it's a matter of building and being patient with it.”
Currently, the Raptors are 51-22, and three games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the first seed in the Eastern Conference. While it’s unlikely that they catch them, they’ve still set themselves up for what could be a more successful playoff run than the franchise has seen in years past.
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