Marc Gasol ready to chase another title with the Lakers

When it comes to his limitations, Marc Gasol might be his own toughest critic.

The Spanish center leaked frank assessments of his physical abilities two months ahead of his 36th birthday next month. When asked about his defensive communication, widely considered among the best in the NBA, Gasol deflected with self-deprecation: “I try to get places before I jump in the air because my time that I’m going to stay in the air is not very long.”

No, he’s not the grinding, physical center the Lakers first drafted in 2007. He’s no longer the force he was in 2013 when he was named Defensive Player of the Year. He’s probably not even quite the player he was in Toronto in 2019, when he was a pivotal trade acquisition on a championship team.

But Gasol still has a part to play on a winner, he believes. And as far as his fit on a contender, the Lakers were a natural pairing. Perhaps most importantly, he said, is the Lakers as defending champions already possess the winning mentality that he has himself.

“It’s kind of a gift and a curse: I compete at everything I do all the time,” he said. “Obviously there’s things that I do very well, there’s some things that I’m just physically I’m not that kind of player, but I’ll make up for it with my grit and my determination in order to get a win. So it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Gasol spoke Wednesday about his decision to sign a two-year veteran’s minimum deal with the Lakers, which adds one of the wiliest big men in the league to a team solidifying its status as a favorite to repeat. While media reports linked him to Barcelona, one of the biggest clubs in his homeland, Gasol said “that was not accurate at all,” and he largely weighed the Lakers against returning to the Raptors, who will play the upcoming season in Tampa Bay.

By his own admission, Gasol loved Toronto: Not only did he win there, but his children loved the schools and his family loved the city. But the aging center also didn’t think “I was going to be able to be the player they needed me to be there in order to win it,” and thought a more modest role on the Lakers would be a better fit entering his 13th NBA season.

In the bubble, Gasol had one of his roughest postseasons, averaging just 6 points per game and shooting 5 for 27 from 3-point range. He acknowledged those shortcomings: “Sometimes, it just doesn’t work out the way you want it.”

Many Lakers fans, of course, hold the Gasol name near and dear after his older brother Pau played seven seasons for the Lakers, winning back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. Marc visited his brother many times in Los Angeles, and said he’s very familiar with the area and the franchise. Even though many faces have changed, that impression lingered.

“I got to meet up close a lot of people who are around the team … and saw how they interacted and how much they care about the players, how great they took care of them,” he said. “All those things are awesome and they’re role models for all the teams in the NBA.”

In less than a week, Gasol is scheduled to start working with his new teammates, but he said he already has a good idea of who they are from his years playing against them in the league. What he’ll need to work out is preferences, spacing and other micro-concepts that make a team flow smoother.

Gasol said he liked watching the Lakers’ defensive creativity in the playoffs, and observed that they’re not afraid to try different ideas – which fits well with his own sensibilities. While he himself is not a floor sprinter, he also reckons that the Lakers’ transition game will still be one of the league’s best.

Gasol has averaged at least three assists per game for nine consecutive seasons and is considered one of the game’s best passing big men.

It helps, he said, that LeBron James will be one of his downcourt receivers.

“Having him as a quick outlet and an easy target because he’s such a big target that you can get, or even Anthony Davis when he contests the shot and runs, and the wings obviously KCP or whoever the other wing is,” he said. “But it’s gonna be fun, it all starts with getting those stops.”