The Los Angeles Lakers will kick off their preseason schedule on Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. Ahead of his debut with the Lakers, Marc Gasol revealed his expectations for his first preseason game with the team, per LakersNation's Matthew Moreno.
Marc Gasol: "I'm getting ready to play (against Clippers). It's going to be up to coach. He's managing the rotations and how to stagger the team to get ready for Opening Night."
— Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015) December 10, 2020
Marc Gasol, who turns 36 years old in January, isn't the same spry big man that was playing 30-plus minutes a game for the Memphis Grizzlies. Even a season ago, with the Toronto Raptors, Gasol saw a career-low 26.4 minutes per game during the regular season.
Seeing that it's a quick turnaround for the Lakers, who won the NBA title, Frank Vogel is going to do his best to keep guys fresh during the season. While Marc Gasol wasn't with Los Angeles last season, he's going to be a vital member of the roster this season with Dwight Howard and Javale McGee no longer available.
Despite winning the championship in October, the Lakers didn't stay content with the makeup of their roster. With Marc Gasol joining the reigning champions, he and his brother, Pau Gasol, become the first pair of brothers in NBA history to suit up for the Lakers in their careers.
Besides Marc Gasol, Los Angeles added proven players in Dennis Schroder, Wesley Matthews, and Montrezl Harrell via trade or in free agency. In response to the potential of the Lakers, Gasol seems excited to be a part of his new team.
Marc Gasol waxing poetic about the Lakers: "Everyone knows their role, very deep team, very good coaching staff. What else do you want me to say? They're the champions."
— Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015) December 10, 2020
On Friday night, we already know that Vogel is likely going to refrain from deploying both LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Given that, there's a chance that Marc Gasol and the other new additions get an opportunity to play a decent amount of minutes when the Lakers face the Clippers.
There is absolutely no reason for Lebron, AD, or other players who did the heavy lifting in the NBA Finals to play any preseason minutes, given the truncated NBA offseason.
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