Pau Gasol says playing alongside Steve Nash will be a huge honour - NBA Update
Legendry point guard Steve Nash landed with Los Angeles Lakers after a sign-and-trade deal between the Phoenix Suns and the Lakers. The deal will be for three-year and will give Nash $25-million.
While Steve’s arrival adds a new dimension to the Lakers, one person who is going to benefit the most is Pau Gasol.
Gasol is currently in Spain; practicing for the London Olympics. He shared his thoughts over Twit cam on Wednesday.
"I'm very excited to have the opportunity to play along with Steve and everything he brings to the table. He's probably the most unselfish player in the NBA," Gasol said Wednesday. "Any player would be excited to play with Steve,
who makes things easier for everyone else on the team."
Nash, 38, is arguably the best facilitator of contemporary times - his 9,916 career total assists is a testament to that. In the last season, he became the 5th all-time NBA’s assist leader and for the last few years
has been single handedly carrying the Suns on his shoulders.
His arrival at LAL will not only bolster the backcourt which has a living legend in Kobe Bryant, but will also fresh breeze for the twin towers, especially Pau Gasol.
Gasol struggled throughout last season due to inadequate floor positioning and shot selection. His 17.4 points and 10.4 boards were no mean feat, but were lowest stats of his career.
Now with Nash running the show, things are bound to change. Steve is a master, when it comes to provide the ball inside the paint and this is exactly what Gasol needs at this time. Mike Brown had run his offense through Kobe throughout
last season and literally had to because there was nobody to facilitate the bigs down low. The numbers of Gasol and Bynum were thus bound to fall and they did.
The lack of offense from Gasol was also one of the main reasons that the Lakers bowed out in just the second round of the playoffs. But, with Steve running the floor, it can be safely deduced that it will no longer be a problem.
One similar example that can be used as reference is Amar'e Stoudemire. At the time when Stoudemire and Nash used to play together at Phoenix Suns, Amar'e was at his best. Reason – he used to get the ball, something he does have
the luxury of at New York.
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