Magic Johnson believes Pau Gasol is not being utilized properly – NBA Update
Los Angeles Lakers started the season pretty badly and as the season has gone on, things have taken a turn for the worse. The Lakers have now lost 8 of their last 11 games and even though the power forward did not participate in
the last four games due to tendinitis in both knees, many people are still off the view that the Lakers’ struggles have a lot to do with the performance of Pau Gasol.
The player has been at the centre of criticism for not putting up consistent number and has in the past demanded for more touches in the low post from Mike D’Antoni. The general consensus however remains that it is Pau who has
to adjust.
The argument seems reasonable to an extent, but former Magic Johnson has refused to accept it. He instead laid blame on D’Antoni’s X’s and O’s.
"When Gasol was on that (low) block, he averaged 18 points, he shot 53 percent from the field and he still is the best passing big man in the game," Johnson said Tuesday. "But you have him at the free-throw line? That makes no
sense. That's not his game.”
"His game is to catch it on the low block, face his man, one dribble left or right. He's got great moves. But now all the blame is on his shoulders, like he's not performing well? He can't take that. That's not who he is.
"They've got to put him in a winning situation, because once Gasol starts to play well, I think the team will start to play well.”
Gasol was a vital cog of the team that won back to back championships late in the last decade. He has however been a shadow of himself, and it is not that the slump started only when the new coaches came in. In Phil Jackson’s last
year, Gasol failed to deliver much on the offense and that only got worse under Mike Brown. It is true that D’Antoni has also failed to utilize him properly, but Gasol should also accept some of the blame. After all, he is a four time All-Star, and should
know how to assert himself on the court.
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