It’s officially Gasol systems go for the Memphis Grizzlies as they prepare for next season.
According to a report by Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal on Friday, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, who has been out with a broken right foot since February, has been medically cleared to play.
The former Defensive Player of the Year suffered the injury on February 8 against the Portland Trail Blazers (video here), ending his 2015-16 season prematurely. He was averaging 16.6 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game, and 1.6 blocks per game before going down.
Gasol, 31, will return to a retooled Memphis team that just inked Mike Conley to a historic $153 million max extension and signed Chandler Parsons away from the Dallas Mavericks. Still, they’ll need continued production out of Gasol, who is the only 7-footer on their roster.
Much of Gasol’s value comes from agility and his footwork for a big man. Those skills allow him to defend the pick-and-roll and the rim effectively and to be a crafty scorer in the post. Now past his physical prime and coming off a major foot injury, it’s definitely worth watching to see if those attributes have been at all compromised.
H/T Rotoworld
