Marc Gasol is the best defensive player while the Memphis Grizzlies are one of the best defensive teams. He has a legitimate case to be the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Marc Gasol has been completely rejuvenated after a frustrating year last season. Mike Conley being healthy is a big reason but Gasol playing like an all-star is a big reason the Memphis Grizzlies have been playing so well.
His play on the offensive end of the floor has been really good. He is averaging 18 points per game on 47% shooting, including 42% from three-point range.
His offense is back at an elite level and he has started to be aggressive. This team doesn’t have a lot of scorers so they need him to make an impact on that end.
The reason this team is winning games is that of their defense. Memphis is bringing back their Grit N’ Grind style of play.
Gasol is the leader on that end of the floor but he does have a lot of help. The whole team has bought into the defensive mindset that their star center plays with.
He was an elite defender earlier in his career and is bringing that type of energy to this years team. He won Defensive Player of the Year for the 2012-13 season, despite that he was only named to the All-Defensive second team that season.
Gasol has been making plays on the defensive end of the floor through the first quarter of the season. He is averaging 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.
Marc Gasol's defense on OG Anunoby is so good here
— Chris Montano (@gswchris) November 28, 2018
The Grizzlies' all-star has to be in DPOY talks this year pic.twitter.com/oCWqq0kmEH
His 1.6 steals per game is tied for 14th in the league. While his 1.4 blocks put him at 18th best in the league.
Anthony Davis and Robert Covington are the only other players in the league who are in the top 20 in both of those stats.
Each of those two has been talked about as elite defenders and Defensive Player of the Year candidates so Gasol should be too.
His defensive rating of 101.3 is the lowest it has been since it was at 95.5 during the 2012-12 season in which he was the Defensive Player of the Year.
The Grizzlies defensive rating of 104.8 is the 5th best in the NBA. They are also 4th in steals at 8.9 per game and their six blocks per game are tied for 5th in the league.
The Memphis Grizzlies have struggled some as of late but they still have a 13-9 record since they had gotten off to a 12-5 start.
They need to improve if they want to stay in the playoff picture and the defense will be key in doing that. If they’re able to pick it back up and win some games, look for Gasol to start getting the recognition that he deserves.