Marc Gasol wants to make his way with the Lakers

In 2007, the Los Angeles Lakers had two second-round picks: the 40th pick and the 48th pick. With the 40th pick, they selected Sun Yue, who made only 10 appearances in his short time with the team. The Lakers resigned from Yue in 2009.

With the No. 48 pick, they selected Marc Gasol, who never wore purple and gold because the Lakers traded his draft rights with the Memphis Grizzlies in the successful trade that brought his older brother Pau to Los Angeles. The rest is history, but not Marc’s story.

Sure, Marc knew the city of Los Angeles well in the seven years that Pau played for the Lakers, and he knew the people that Pau worked with most closely on the team, but that period of time did not belong to him; it belonged to his brother. Now it is Marc’s turn.

On Wednesday morning, Marc was officially introduced as a Laker, and he seemed eager to forge his own path in Los Angeles.

“Obviously, there is a lot of history with a lot of things,” Gasol said. “But for me, the most important thing was how he was going to fit in on the court and how he was going to be able to help the team.”

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images

Unlike his brother Pau, Marc will come to the Lakers as an experienced and accomplished player. In Marc’s 12-year career, he made the All-Star Game three times, was named to two All-NBA teams, won the Defensive Player of the Year Award once, and in 2019, he won his first NBA championship.

Marc may already be in the prime of his career at the age of 35, but he’s still confident that he can help the Lakers compete for a championship, and the team’s top brass let him know they feel the same during their conversations. with him for free. agency.

“I don’t think there was just one thing that made me decide,” Gasol said. “But it came down to the possibility of winning another championship and contributing to a team that is already really good … Having the feeling of being part of a great team and seeing how the coach and the general manager and everyone saw that he could contribute to that. That, to me, said a lot. A team that just wants a championship with those ideas for you, that for me was incredible. “

Gasol will bring his own experience and championship mentality to the Lakers locker room. And he hopes that will lead to more success and hardware for himself and his new team.

“The guys are hungry for more,” Gasol said. “It’s not like it’s a one-time deal. Everyone in the locker room, starting with his leadership, wants more because that’s the way they are built, and it was very refreshing to see that. Everyone is on the same page. “

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images

Gasol will come in and give the Lakers a different look at offense with his passing and shooting, but he knows defensive end is where he has the opportunity to make the biggest difference for the team, although his style of play is very different from that of what they were used to last season.

“I try to get to places before I have to jump in the air because, you know, my going to happen in the air is not much,” Gasol said. “But you know, I try to use my, my instincts and my knowledge of the game and the way I study to get there before you know it, offense goes there.

“I use a lot of communication as a center. I believe that communication builds trust and solves problems. Whenever we see a problem, I know we will have great communication. We are going to be on the same page because at the end of the day, you need defense to win games ”.

Gasol hasn’t been a fully defensive team since the 2012-13 season, but he’s still one of the league’s most impressive defensive centers. Last season, Gasol ranked fifth among centers in real plus-minus defensive (3.42) and, overall, ranked seventh in the league in real plus-minus defensive. Suffice to say it hits the mold they are looking for.

There are still some concerns about Gasol’s overall fitness for his age, but he hopes he can quit his disappointing game in the Orlando bubble. If he can, chances are high that he will join his brother in Lakers history.

For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast at iTunes, Spotify, Stapler or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.