The impact of Marc Gasol can be easily overlooked. It should come as no surprise that another veteran big man whose two-way contributions are often more subtle than flashy believes the Toronto Raptors center has been the “difference” against the Golden State Warriors.
Boston Celtics star Al Horford told Alex Madrid of EuroHoops that Gasol, acquired midseason, is exactly the type of player Toronto needed to make a championship run.
“Gasol has been the difference for Toronto,” he said. “He was the player they needed and they are one step away from being champions.”
The Raptors, clearly gearing up for the playoffs, traded for Gasol at the deadline, sending Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, C.J. Miles, and a future second-round pick back to the Memphis Grizzlies. Toronto went a solid 18-8 to close the regular season, registering the league's fourth-best net rating over that timeframe. Still, those numbers fail to portray the evolution, especially offensively, of the Raptors once Gasol came aboard.
Before the trade, Toronto assisted on 57.8 percent of its baskets and scored 30.2 percent of its points from beyond the arc. After the trade, those ratios ticked up to 65.5 percent and 37.3 percent, respectively, both top-10 marks indicative of a shift in philosophy that has carried over to the postseason. Of course, Gasol has proven immensely valuable on defense, too, often making life surprisingly difficult on Steph Curry in pick-and-roll situations with well-timed, perfectly-angled traps during the NBA Finals.
Horford plays a similar role for the Celtics. Should both players stick with their incumbent teams going forward, it would be an absolute treat for basketball nerds to watch he and Gasol go at it in a playoff series.
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