Gasol is a talented and multi-faceted big man, but his coaches have forgotten that on far too many occasions. In their stints coaching the Spaniard, Mike Brown and Mike D’Antoni have relegated him to the perimeter.
The decision was made to open up the floor and allow the likes of Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard to camp out in the low post and score with their backs to the basket. The tactical adjustment has resulted in the decline of Gasol’s scoring efficiency.
Since Phil Jackson left the Lakers at the conclusion of the 2010-11 season, Gasol’s field-goal attempts in post-up situations have consistently dipped every season according to Synergy Sports.
For those in need of a refresher, have a look at Gasol’s post skills from the 2010 NBA Finals against top-flight defensive competition:
No seriously, see if you recognize him here against the Phoenix Suns in the 2010 playoffs:
In his final season with Jackson, nearly 40 percent of the two-time champion’s shot attempts resulted from post-ups. That figure has since dropped below 25 percent under Brown and D’Antoni, per Synergy Sports.
With Gasol moving further away from the basket, his shooting has plummeted. In 2010-11, the Spaniard converted 52.9 percent of his field goals.
However, the 2012-13 campaign brought on a different version of Gasol, one that resembled a perimeter player more than anything. He converted 46.6 percent of his field goals and attempted a career-high 28 treys.
Here is one of them:
It seems quite evident in the video that putting him out at the three-point line is a waste of his talents.
Thankfully for him, things are changing in LakerLand.
