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Toronto Raptors big Marc Gasol has had to morph his game in the last few years to grow outside the mold of the traditional NBA center, recently venturing into shooting 3-pointers while connecting at a respectable rate. However, his trade to the Raptors required him to put that newfound ability to use more often than he expected,
“We'd like him to shoot them, especially when it's a rhythm shot,” Nurse told ESPN's Jackie MacMullan, “but Marc is one of the great big-men passers. It's always harder to convince guys to shoot more than to convince guys to shoot less. That's the battle we're in a little bit with Marc.”
Gasol is a gifted passer, among the best at his position, yet blessed with a 7-foot-1 frame that can punish other bigs in the paint as well as find cracks from the perimeter.
David Fizdale, his former coach with the Memphis Grizzlies, was the one convincing him to use his feathery touch and extend it to beyond the 3-point line, making him a versatile and now sought-after stretch-five.
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“You know, what he's doing now…” said Fizdale, chuckling. “I tried to tell him, ‘It's adapt or die.'”
Gasol has indeed adapted, and his contributions have never been more valuable from all three levels.
The Spanish big man has dropped 20 and 17 points in each of the Raptors' two wins in the NBA Finals, spelling trouble for smaller players in the post and a nightmare for big centers on the perimeter.
