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Wizards' Gortat on Gasol: 'He’s a much, much better player than Carlos Boozer'

Chris Humphreys / USA TODAY Sports

With the Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls set for a postseason rematch Friday night in D.C., Wizards big man Marcin Gortat gave his honest take on Chicago's upgraded power forward position.

Gortat isn't exaggerating. While Boozer remains a capable offensive big man who can still be a presence on the glass, Gasol has been a two-way force for the Bulls while putting together somewhat of a renaissance season in the 14th year of his Hall of Fame career.

Gasol is averaging 18.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and a career-high 2.3 blocks for the 25-11 Bulls, posting a Player Efficiency Rating of 21.6. In short, the 34-year-old is playing at an All-Star level for a contending team.

Boozer, on the other hand, is averaging 12.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Gasol's former team. In addition, the 11-25 Lakers perform 5.5 points per 100 possessions worse with the defensively inept Boozer on the floor, according to Basketball Reference.

It should come as no surprise, but Gasol has been a vastly superior scorer, rebounder, passer and defender than Boozer while playing a bigger role on the vastly superior team.

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