Marc Gasol points to weight loss as reason for excellent start
The Memphis Grizzlies are looking to improve to 15-2 on Sunday, and they can point to the absence of simple sugars as a reason for their early success.
Buoyed by the excellent early play of former Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies have been untouchable on the defensive end and just good enough on the offensive end of the floor. The Spanish center has been a house afire through a month, averaging 20.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocks through 16 games entering play Sunday.
That scoring average would mark a career high, and each of the others are above his career average in that respective statistic. His 23.3 player efficiency rating is also a career-best, and the Grizzlies have been 4.3 points per-100 possessions better with him than without him overall.
The fact that Gasol is very good is not new. His playing like a two-way superstar now may have something to do with his offseason weight loss, which had teammate Mike Conley guessing Gasol had dropped 50 pounds.
Gasol told The New York Times in an article published Sunday that he spent the offseason in Spain cutting refined sugar, soda and processed food from his diet. He also limited carbs and red meat, leaving him to eat a semi-vegetarian or "flexitarian" diet. Gasol wouldn't quantify the amount of weight he's dropped - the Grizzlies' official media guide curiously shows no change from 2013-14 - but it's noticeable just watching the Grizzlies play.
Gasol seems to enter each season a little trimmer and in better shape, moving from a portly prospect to a chubby rookie to the lean hunk of beef you see today. As a reference, here's what Gasol looked like in high school:
Just for reference, this was Marc Gasol in high school pic.twitter.com/F9nRvK7Xgq
— Lisa Kay (@LisaKay18) November 29, 2014
With unrestricted free agency on the horizon this summer, Gasol couldn't have picked a better time to hit his peak. The Grizzlies will have to give him a maximum contract to retain him, but given the impact he's had on them in November, they probably won't take much issue with that reality.