Marc Gasol seems to be back into prime form as he prepares for the season restart. Coach Nick Nurse had this to say in response to a question concerning the health of Gasol’s hamstring, “I mean as far as I’m aware, yeah, he’s fully healed. As you know he looks great, his skills look fantastic as well. It looks like he’s in good shape. I don’t see any issues. “ (Josh Lewenberg on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact
Although the coach’s evaluation was good, nothing was more telling about Gasol’s status than teammate Terence Davis’ comments on the 11-year old vet, “He looks really, really good. He’s moving really well. He looks like prime Marc to me. It’s scary.” The fact that Gasol is back at 100 percent should bode significantly well for an already talented front-court. A Raptors team with a “prime” Gasol could be very difficult to compete against, as their depth and versatility could outpace the best of strategies. This season has been difficult for Gasol to remain healthy, and in result, has driven his production down; he has played in only 36 contests this year and averaged 27.5 minutes of play, 7.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, .8 steals, and .9 blocks. If Gasol can truly reclaim a piece of his prime form, and successfully find a consistent role as the preferred option at the five- position for the Raptors, it may not be crazy to think that he could once again become a must-add option in all fantasy formats. In this scenario, at his current price, he should be able to easily outperform his estimated value and become a consistent source of production for your fantasy squad.