Pau Gasol is the Gasol brother used to the glamorous side of things in the NBA, having toiled under the bright lights in Los Angeles for a championship-marked stretch of his career.
Younger brother Marc Gasol is the Gasol whose career has been defined by the grit and grind he’s helped define in Memphis, a place where Pau was once the face of the franchise.
Marc’s work is often subtle, being in the right place at the right time during a critical defensive set or carving out space for himself on the low block when the Grizzlies desperately need a basket.
That’s the backbone of his game. All guts, all the little things that go unnoticed until you study the video and realize that the trigger man for these Grizzlies, who at 8-1 as of this morning own the best record in the league (by percentage points over the 7-1 Houston Rockets).
Gasol’s work as the engine of one of the best teams in basketball is the reason he ranks as high as he does on the KIA Race to the MVP Ladder for the second straight week.
Gasol’s contributions to the Grizzlies’ cause cannot always be measured by the numbers alone. It’s a complicated matrix that goes into the crafting of a legitimate MVP candidate. It’s as much about the impact you have on your team from a night to night basis as it is anything else that shows up in the advanced metrics (where a player as well-rounded as Gasol also shines).
Take for example his critical work in that come-from-behind win over the Sacramento Kings Thursday night. Gasol didn’t make the game-winning shot. That honor belonged to Courtney Lee, who scored off a sweet inbounds pass from Vince Carter.
Study the play a little closer, though, and you’ll find Gasol in the middle of the most crucial part of the entire play.
He set the screen on Kings point guard Darren Collison, who crashed into the man defending Gasol, Jason Thompson, as Lee slipped behind them and to the basket for an uncontested finish with :00.3 left — a play that had to be an exquisitely-timed catch-and-shoot for the Grizzlies to steal the 111-110 win.
“Like watching an All-Pro left tackle spring the running back for the game-winning touchdown,” a NBA advance scout said via text after seeing the play late Thursday night. “Best big man in the game right now, in my opinion. Complete player.”
The rally from a 26-point deficit made it the biggest and perhaps the best comeback in franchise history for the Grizzlies.
The man in the middle, the one who sprung Lee for those game-saving heroics after piling up 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals, will barely show up in the celebration shots you’ll see on the highlight.
But the Grizzlies know exactly where Marc Gasol was when the game was on the line.
1. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
We point the spotlight on the NBA’s next superstar: the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis.
(Last week: No. 1)
Davis is the fist player since 1994-95 to record three games with 25 or more points, 10 or more rebounds and five or more blocks in the first seven games of a season. The last two men to do so? Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. Let that marinate for a second … Davis is doing things we haven’t seen since “The Dream” and “The Admiral” were doing their thing. The first thing we need is a new and better nickname for Davis than “The ‘Brow.” He’s earning as much with his work right now. The Pelicans are relevant because of the way Davis is performing.
2. James Harden, Houston Rockets
GameTime: James Harden With Jamie Maggio
James Harden sits down with Jamie Maggio to discuss the Rockets.
(Last week: No. 2)
Harden the facilitator is as critical to the Rockets’ cause as Harden the scorer is. He’s piled up 20 double-digit assist games in his career, all of them since joining Houston in 2012-13. The Rockets are 18-2 in those games. There were legitimate concerns as to whether or not Harden could be a true No. 1 player and more than just an elite scorer. Those concerns have been addressed and any questions about how he could (and would) adapt to running his own team have been answered.
3. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
(Last week: No. 7)
Triple-doubles, near triple-doubles and any other statistical metric works in LeBron James’ favor, not that he needs the help. When the Cavaliers got off to their slow start this season, was there any doubt who they would turn to in an effort to straighten things out? No offense to Kevin Love or Kyrie Irving (or coach David Blatt, for that matter), but LeBron is the backbone of this championship-aspiring team. And if the Cavaliers harbor dreams of winning it all this year, things must continue to flow through LeBron.
4. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
Timeout With Klay Thompson
Take a timeout with Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson.
(Last week: No. 3)
It’s rare for a player to raise his overall stock as a player in a loss, but that’s exactly what Thompson did when the Warriors fell to the reigning world champion Spurs. Thompson drilled the Spurs for 29 points (on 5-for-6 shooting from deep) and followed that up with 25 points (4-for-9 from distance) in Thursday night’s win over the Brooklyn Nets. Thompson is shooting, and perhaps even more important, just playing like a player who belongs among the league’s elite. The fact he’s doing it on both ends pushes the Warriors to that next level. His carryover from his big summer at the 2014 FIBA World Cup is going to be must-see TV all season long.
5. Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
Marc Gasol’s pick frees Lee for game-winner
Vince Carter inbounds to Courtney Lee who contorts mid-air for the reverse layup to win the game.
(Last week: No. 4)
Gasol’s individual numbers (17.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks) might not dazzle. His overall impact on one of the best teams in the league, however, is undeniable. The Grizzlies are a different team when Gasol is healthy and serving as their overall epicenter. What he doesn’t bear in a huge scoring and rebounding load down low (thanks to Zach Randolph) he makes up for in the leadership burden he carries. His screen freed Courtney Lee for the game winner against the Kings Thursday night..
6. John Wall, Washington Wizards
(Last week: No. 9)
Wall is the one player on this list who seems to be flying under the radar, relatively speaking, this season. The Wizards are right near the top of the Eastern Conference standings with Wall serving as the point guard and best backcourt scoring option while Bradley Beal continues to heal. Seeing Wall in these point guard shootouts (Donald Sloan of Indiana last week and Brandon Jennings of Detroit Wednesday) seems a bit odd, since that’s not Wall’s strength. That he’s come out on top both times speaks volumes about the continued evolution of his game. Whatever the Wizards need from him, Wall provides it a the opportune time.
7. Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
(Last week: Not Ranked)
The best player on arguably the best team in the Eastern Conference today? That would be Kyle Lowry, as of this moment. The Raptors’ no-nonsense floor general is doing it the old fashioned way, he’s earning every bit of his respect by outworking the opposition. The fact that he has the Raptors atop the Eastern Conference standings is a bonus, and proof that Raptors boss Masai Ujiri was right to make Lowry his top priority during free agency. Lowry is directing the most high-powered offense in the league without having to lead that unit in scoring (DeMar DeRozan handles that duty). And he’s doing it masterfully.
8. Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors
(Last week: No. 10)
There is no tug of war on this team in terms of who is at the controls. Klay Thompson is being featured offensively in ways that he wasn’t necessarily under former coach Mark Jackson, but most people would argue that this is still Curry’s team. His all-around work (nearly seven assists and six rebounds to go along with his 25 points) makes him even more of a threat than he has been in the past. He bounced back from a 10-turnover effort in a loss to the Phoenix Suns, committing just six over his next two outings. His ability to curb his enthusiasm for turnovers is what will separate the Warriors from the pack going forward.
9. DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
The Beat: Are Kings Here To Stay?
The guys discuss the Sacramento Kings strong start to the 2014-15 season.
(Last week: No. 6)
Cousins and his individual transformation into a consistently positive force for the Kings on and off the court, is one of the most refreshing stories of this early NBA season. His rise coinciding with the Kings’ ascent couldn’t have been scripted any better. Any team in basketball would welcome a 6-foot-11, 270-pound double-double waiting to happen. What they wouldn’t have welcomed was a player with the excess baggage that used to be a part of the Cousins package. Now that he appears to have shed that piece of luggage, Cousins can just play and dominate on a nightly basis.
10. Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets
Inside Stuff: Rocket Man
Kristen Ledlow joins Dwight Howard on a drive around his home town of Atlanta as he prepares for the 2014-2015 season.
(Last week: Not Ranked)
Watching this Dwight Howard work makes it hard stomach the big man we all saw in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform two years ago. Howard really was not himself while in Los Angeles. The only game the Rockets have lost this season is the one Howard sat out (Saturday night against Golden State). He’s back to dominating in the paint and forcing teams to pick their poison with James Harden attacking from the perimeter. This is the player that had folks talking about Howard being the latest star in a long line of standout big men to wear a Rockets uniform.
The next five: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers; Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs; Chris Bosh, Miami Heat; Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks; Pau Gasol, Chicago
