Breaking Down Potential Free Agent Targets: Marc Gasol

This was supposed to be part one of a series I had planned on doing, though now, in all likelihood won't be able to finish due to changes in my personal life.
Please note that I'm very well aware of the Rockets' current salary situation and I don't see the Grizzlies not re-signing Gasol, but crazier things have happened and there isn't much else to get excited about (Nene, T.Chandler & D.Jordan being the other free agents I wanted to get to), so let just pretend there would be no such thing as a salary cap.

Having gotten that out of the way, let's look at the Rockets most glaring needs:

The Rockets were 20th in Defensive Rebound Rate last season. In order to become a better defensive team they must improve in that area, as it largely correlates with defensive efficiency (Points allowed per 100 possessions).
They also must get better at protecting the rim (OpposingFG% 65.3 - 23th) and defending in general / closing out (OPPeFG% 50.0 - 15th; another key factor in defensive efficiency).
A big part of getting better in those areas is coaching and mindset, but really, it comes down to personal. It starts with the perimeter players and while you theoretically can be a good defensively without a defensive force in the middle, having a rimprotector sure helps.
Having said all that, the Rockets were a 43 win team last season. That's the bottom line. You can talk about needs all you want, but the reality is that more than anything the Rockets need to add talent.

Marc Gasol: 7-1, 265lbs, RFA



Intro:

Gasol is a fun player to watch. Not because he vows you with spectacular dunks or other crazy athletic highlight plays, but rather because he plays the game the right way. He's always looking for the best play, understanding what opposing teams are trying to do, what players strengths and weaknesses are. He knows his own strengths, but also his shortcomings. He'll look for the mismatch, whether he or a teammate has it. He's unselfish, yet rarely passive. He doesn't possess great athletic ability, but for the most part makes up for it by seeing the play develop before it happens. He's competitive and plays with intensity, without being even remotely dirty. He just seems like the type of guy you'd love to play with.

Strength & Weaknesses:



Offense:

Gasol's offensive game consist of a variety of go-to and counter moves. Jump hooks, running hooks, turnaround- and fade-away jumpers out of the post, you name it. He's pretty much got it all. His ability to finish with either hand makes him an especially hard cover, as he's able to set people up and take what the defense gives him.
Gasol is also capable of knocking down the occasional jumper, but it's not necessarily his strong suite. He doesn't settle for jumpers however and understands the importance of taking quality shots within the offense and therefore picks his spots.
Gasol does a good job rolling to the basket or popping out after setting a screen. He moves reasonably well without the ball for a guy his size, creating favorable angles to receive the ball and keeping his defender occupied to space the floor. If he's hit with a pass, he seldomly fumbles the ball, thanks to his soft hands. He also does a good job of keeping the ball high whether it's off a pass or rebound.

Spoiler

All the videos are available in HD, but for whatever reason I was unable to embed them in HD. For a better viewing experience I recommend watching the clips in 720p. Sorry for the blurry parts. I wish I would have been able to fix it, though I don't think it's that big of a deal.

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Passing:

Gasol is a fairly capable and willing passer, which is why the Grizzlies use him in a lot of high post sets (a bit too much for my liking). His passing ability coupled with his court vision, basketball IQ and offensive skill set make him good option to run the offense through, though again I'd argue that he currently spends too much time in the highpost.

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Rebounding:

Gasol will never be a great rebounder and there's no question that he'll need to get more consistent.
However, while Gasol's rebounding numbers on paper look below average, he's demonstrated in this year's playoffs that he's very well capable of rebounding at a higher rate.
One thing to consider looking at his offensive rebounding numbers is that he spends a lot, certainly most than other centers, of his time in the high post. This is partly due to his passing and shooting ability, but also because of Zach Randolph's fairly dominant post game.
He doesn't really posses the tools to be a great offensive rebounder to begin with, but him being in the free throw line area when most shots go up sure doesn't help his cause.
Gasol's defensive rebounding isn't great either and he'll forget get to box out or get outjumped every once in a while, but for the most part he's pretty good at keeping his man off the glass.
If he secures a rebound, he does a good job seeing the floor, looking to quickly hit Mike Conley with an outlet pass, trying to initiate early offense.
Again, he'll need to get more consistent, but he's certainly capable of being at least average. His playoff numbers, granted the small sample size, show that and don't see why he wouldn't be able to do it in the regular season against lesser competition.

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Defense:

Defensively Gasol uses his big body to battle for position early, often trying to deny the post entry, not seldomly with success.
Matched up in the post, he does a good job holding his position, making guys shot over him. Quicker players can give him some trouble, but Gasol is using size and length to take away space and challenge shots pretty effectively. While Gasol is challenged in his vertical quickness, his lateral quickness is pretty solid for a guy his size.

Gasol's pick&roll defense is a somewhat of a mixed bag. His defensive instincts and fundamentals are good enough to get the job done against most guys and for the most part he does a good job reading the situation, showing or hedging and getting back to his man, but again it's the quick and athletic players that give him fits. He's not a bad pick&roll defender by any means, but at times he's just that one or two steps to slow to cut of the angles properly and stop dribble penetration, giving up high quality shots or causing his teammates having to help more than you'd like.

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As previously mentioned Gasol is a bit slow and his conditioning isn't great, which at times hurts him particularly in transition.
He tends to be out of position, not catch up with the play entirely or is too limited athletically to effectively defend quicker players on the fly.
He does a good job however, of zoning up while running back, understanding the basics of transition defense. He also for the most part does a pretty decent job of closing out and understanding how much space to give to to certain player if caught up in a mismatch.

Asides from transition defense, help defense is probably the area Gasol struggles the most. Again it's his lack of quickness and athleticism that stands him in the way. Being the help man on pick & rolls he, again, often is just a step too slow to close out or rotate properly.
Gasol's BLK% is surprisingly high, but I wouldn't say he's much of a rimprotector (relatively speaking). Most of his blocks come simply from him being tall and having good defensive instincts. He does a good job of not fouling and picking his spots as to when to challenge shots, but again, it's his lack of athletic ability that holds him back. I don't have the numbers to back this up, but watching all those games it seemed like for every block Gasol got he gave up at least one, if not two or three layups. Guys didn't seem to be bothered much by Gasol's presence and I'd argue that his BLK% can be a be deceiving, given that he doesn't alter many shots.

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Conclusion:

In short, Gasol is challenged athletically, doesn't rebound at a high rate and isn't much of a rimprotector, yet he's exactly what the Rockets need. He's a big time talent and in my opinion the number one free agent out there. Arguably a top-5 center already, sky is the limit for Gasol, if he he can shed down some more weight. It's unlikely the Rockets will be able to get him, but if they did, it'd be be a major coup.

Spoiler

Lost Cuts, if you haven't had enough:

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