NBA Playoffs: Marc Gasol is Back to Having Fun But Away from Memphis Grizzlies

Marc Gasol is no longer a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, but he is back to having fun on the basketball court in a setting of the NBA Playoffs.

Losing streaks are never fun, and while the Memphis Grizzlies have endured their fair share of them over the past two seasons, Marc Gasol‘s body language was an indication that the franchise would not shake its funk until something major took place.

That something wound up being a trade with the Toronto Raptors on the date of February 7th, 2019, sending Gasol as part of a trade package en route to Toronto. In the process, the Grizzlies shed one of three max contracts. It was the end of a 10.5-season era of Marc Gasol donning a Memphis Grizzlies uniform — the only NBA jersey he had known until the significant trade took place.

Inside of the past two seasons’ worth of games spent in Memphis — 134 games in total while Marc Gasol was on the roster — there were certainly more lows than highs. More specifically, Marc endured two five-game losing streaks, one of six consecutive losses, another of eight straight losses, one stretch of 11 consecutive losses, and lastly, a misery-filled 19-game losing streak.

Gasol deserves credit for not throwing a total tantrum and demanding a trade. He came to work each day and did not ask to be sat out of games. For a three-time NBA All-Star, you will not see that much tolerance from a player of similar caliber. Though his rift with David Fizdale in the early portion of the 2017-18 season did lead to Fizdale receiving the boot, the situation remained largely professional by both parties, Gasol and Fizdale.

For a player like Marc Gasol who is accustomed to playoff runs in the NBA and championship marches on the international circuit, mounting losses will definitely takes its toll. During the 2018-19 season, Big Spain appeared to hit rock bottom following a nine-point home loss to the Brooklyn Nets. This was the fourth straight loss of an eventual six-game losing streak. Gasol appeared to be speechless and without answers, though he is typcially very insightful with postgame wisdom.

Little did fans of the Memphis Grizzlies know at that time that Marc Gasol would be dealt one month later. It was truly an emotional series of events to let go of an M-Town legend in Big Spain, but it was time. The franchise was no longer built to compete for a postseason run versus the best of the West. Plus, the 34-year-old Gasol is exiting his prime and should be more concerned about hardware rather than regular season numbers.

The trade between the Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors is still awkward to think about, even three months later. It is strange to see Marc Gasol donning a red uniform that has nothing to do with his home country of Spain. Picturing Marc in anything other than Beale Street Blue did not seem like a legitimate thought one year ago.

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Through the seek-and-find process for mulling over trade offers, the Memphis Grizzlies found a great situation for Marc Gasol. It would have been a disservice to have sent him packing toward Charlotte — a team who failed to reach the Eastern Conference playoffs this season. The Grizzlies paid their respects to Gasol by sending him to a contending franchise in the Raptors.

Now that he has returned to the winning track, Marc Gasol is playing with motivation — something many Grizzlies fans were questioning about him during this season. Whether he will admit it or not, there is a visual difference in his overall game when his squad is winning. There was not much motivation stemming from his game when Memphis sustained those 11- and 19-game losing streaks.

As of Tuesday evening, Marc Gasol and the Toronto Raptors earned a 3-2 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers. Though Big Spain is perhaps the third, fourth, or even fifth option on the roster due to Toronto’s incredibly deep 2018-19 roster, he will always find ways to positively impact the game.

Gasol is only attempting 6.7 shot attempts per playoff game as a member of the Raptors, though he is shooting with 47.8% accuracy. His shooting range helps space the floor and the defense. Half of his offensive looks are coming from beyond the arc, where he is connecting on an impressive 44.1%.

This is the role that Marc Gasol has been wanting over the past year or two. His game has been screaming “glue guy,” and he had never been the go-to guy until Memphis’ legendary Core Four became divided via NBA Free-Agency. Toronto offers the comfort zone in which Marc has wanted all along, so it is no surprise to see him playing with emotion, including smiles and grins while achieving victories.

His all-around play has given the Toronto Raptors a boost, and this was absolutely the case in Tuesday’s Game 5. Marc Gasol made Joel Embiid look like a fool, and Big Spain was loving every second of it. He has finally found his belonging in Toronto and their fans are soaking up his presence, just as Memphians did for 10.5+ seasons. Gasol lies just one win away from his second all-time trip to the Conference Finals round.

He does not represent the Memphis Grizzlies any longer, but at the very least, Marc Gasol provides something — or rather someone — to watch, cheer, and support in the NBA Playoffs being as the Grizzlies fell short of the postseason for the second consecutive season. The majority of Grizz Nation should be happy to see Big Spain having fun on the hardwood once again.