This year, there are a number of worthy candidates who have stepped up their respective games and become household names in the process. Channing Frye has played at a very high level after his disappointing stint in Portland and Kevin Durant has somehow managed to expand his game even further, willing the Thunder into the playoff picture a few seasons too early. When talking about the most improved player this year, however, two names should be included in the discussion: Houston’s Carl Landry and Memphis’ Marc Gasol.
Despite the public lashing of Memphis General Manager Chris Wallace from both Grizzlies fans and league executives alike, Marc has done a nice job of proving his worth. In fact, he is beginning to force people to reconsider the “lopsided” deal that caused outrage throughout the League when it was announced (Lakers fans excluded, of course).
As the starting center for the Grizz, Marc has improved his game in basically all facets from his rookie year (which wasn’t too shabby either). In just over 35 minutes per game, he currently averages 15.1 points on .604/.692 percent shooting, 0.0 threes, 9.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.6 blocks and 2.1 turnovers (bold denotes career highs). Coming into the season, it was apparent Gasol had not only worked on his game in the off season but he also put in some major work in the gym getting his conditioning right and losing the excess weight. He looks like he is no longer frequenting the local McDonalds and has become a prime physical specimen, distancing himself from Glen Davis comparisons.
Full Post of "The Most Improved Player Race" at Basketball Free For All
