Pau Gasol is one of the best power forwards in the game today. His career averages of 18.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game are beyond impressive. Gasol is also considered to have the best all-around skills for a 7-footer. There are not many other power forwards who can run a perfect 3-on-2 fast break, find small windows to make a perfect pass through traffic, or shoot with both hands around the basketball. However, numbers and skills do not always justify Gasol’s play.
Gasol recently has been less than stellar for the purple and gold. Although his numbers say otherwise, Laker fans know all too well that in important games Gasol tends to be less effective. He’s timid and shies away from contact when play gets rough. Physical play is Pau’s weakness, thus making him unimportant to the outcome of the game. For example, these past two years in the playoffs, when the physicality of the game intensifies, Gasol has averaged career lows in points and rebounds.
While Pau Gasol was averaging 18 points per game in his first 3.5 seasons with the Lakers, this season his scoring suffered slightly as a result of the emergence of Andrew Bynum. Pau was still able to average 17.4 ppg, 10.4 rebounds, and his Laker best 3.7 assists.
It is safe to say that Pau’s numbers would fall when Andrew Bynum plays like an All-Star. Andrew’s dominance inside is only going to take away touches from Gasol. The better Bynum does, the less Gasol gets the ball. Last season, when Bynum missed 28 games, Gasol was the go to/reliable player in the post for the Lakers. This year, Bynum played a full season for the first time since the 2006-07 season. He only missed the first four games due to a suspension he received for a flagrant foul against JJ Barea in the playoffs the previous season, and sat one game out late in the season for some added rest heading into the playoffs.
Andrew is the first true center the Lakers have had since Shaquille O’Neal, and the second best center in the league. Some may even say Bynum is the best offensively skilled center in the game today. He averaged career bests in both points and rebounds, 18.7 ppg and 11.8 rpg, earning his first All-Star appearance as the Western Conference’s starting center. So it is understandable that Gasol’s numbers would dip. Also, there is only one ball on the court for five players, and to expect a player like Gasol to continue to have big numbers when a guy like Bynum begins to average career numbers and play up to his expectation is unfair.
When compared to other All-Star power forwards, Pau’s stats do not lie. He trailed the Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh (18) this season by only 0.6 points, but averaged three more rebounds. Pau averaged more points per game than Kevin Garnett (15.8), Tim Duncan (15.4), Carlos Boozer (15) and had roughly the same as Amar’e Stoudemire (17.5). All these players share the scoring load on their team, although this is just comparing numbers. The difference between Pau and these mentioned power forwards is the style of play. The others are better at playing strong and physical where as Pau is thrown off his game when pushed around. There is a saying that numbers don’t lie, and in most cases that is true. Players can talk, but talk does not support their play, their numbers do. Numbers tell fans, coaches, analysts, and other players how someone is playing. But in the case of Pau Gasol, the numbers can be a bit deceiving. In any given game Pau could have a double-double, but he would frustrate fans because when he was needed the most or when the game was in crunch time, he does not always deliver.
The same topic is constantly being brought up when Lakers power forward Pau Gasol is the topic – his toughness, mentally and physicality. When he first became a Laker, it was his toughness on the court that was in question after Boston roughed him up, but he answered it in the following two years. Now it’s both. For Gasol, 2010-11 was a season to forget, as the eventual NBA World Champions Dallas Mavericks swept the Lakers in the second round. This was not the Pau Gasol people remembered. He seemed to be mentally checked out, averaging just 12.5 ppg. What was worse, each game his scoring went down, from 15 in Game 1 to 10 in Game 4. Defenders were able to keep him away from the basket, forcing his shots to be much more difficult. He was unable to get rebounds, and in many ways it was almost like he was not there.
Next Page: Pau’s Playoff Problems
Pau Gasol seemed to have the same problem in the 2012 playoffs. He wasn’t battling for position underneath the basket on both the offensive and defensive end, he settled for too many outside shots, and he was hesitant to shoot the ball. The most pivotal play Pau made in the playoffs was in Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. With the game tied and less than a minute to go, the Lakers set up to run the pick-and-roll with Gasol and Kobe Bryant. Kobe was double teamed and made the correct pass to Gasol for a wide-open 10-foot shot. Except he didn’t take it. Instead, he tried to pass the ball crosscourt to the three-point line to Metta World Peace and the Thunder’s Kevin Durant picked off the pass. Durant came down and hit a three-point shot that ultimately won them the game and the series.
With the Lakers were trailing the Thunder in the series 2-1, a made shot by Gasol would have given the Lakers the lead in the game. Instead of being up and putting the pressure on the Thunder to make a shot and the possibility of the Lakers tying the series up at 2-2, the Lakers went down 3-1 and the series in the following game and a second round knock out two seasons in a row. His confidence was low in the playoffs because he never turns down an open jumper.
With all the negative things said, Pau Gasol is still one of the best power forwards in the game today. His 7-foot frame pieced together with his skills to handle the ball, shoot the ball from the outside and with both his left and right hand from close range makes him extremely difficult to guard. He helped bring the Lakers two NBA titles, including one against Boston. However, the expectations in L.A. are higher than any other NBA city. What you did last year, two years ago, or three years ago does not matter if you do not keep it up, and Pau’s play has taken a small turn for the worse. But Gasol has the skills and smarts to continue to work hard and get the hunger for a championship back.
He can shoot with the best of the power forwards, Garnett, Duncan, Bosh, and Boozer. He does not have the range as Minnesota Timberwolves Kevin Love, or Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, but out of all those power forwards mentioned, he has the most moves, counter moves, and foot work comparable to that of Tim Duncan. He relies on finesse not power. However, players in the post need to have strength in their arsenal. Gasol needs to play with more power when battling for position and/or driving to the bucket.
Where he exceeds is dribbling, passing, shooting with both hands near the basket, and his IQ. He has a hook shot from five feet that he shoots with both the left and the right hand. That makes him so dangerous because he has no weakness that close to the basket. He is one of the best passing big men, as he is able to scan the court with the ball in his hands and make the right play. He has also been successful leading a fast break. Gasol is so diverse in his skill level that it is a shame he is not as strong mentally. His best quality may be his basketball IQ. He understands the game in and out while also able to read a defense and analyze what they are giving him. Kobe Bryant has even said before that Gasol’s IQ on the court makes him a great player and teammate.
Pau Gasol’s head is his major weakness. When he wants to play, he is unstoppable; he plays hard, physical, and smart. If the Lakers are able to light a fire inside of Gasol, they would be stupid to trade him. The diversity that he has makes him a difficult opponent, but it is his lack of mental toughness that drives Lakers fans crazy. The double threat of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol both being seven feet tall is one of the strengths of the Lakers, and getting rid of one of them for anyone under seven feet would hurt the Lakers’ key attribute. He is a great player and with the right players around him and the right mindset, one of the best.