Remember last year when D’Antoni’s offensive scheme often called for Pau Gasol to stand the corner and shoot threes? That doesn’t happen anymore, thankfully, but Gasol is still unhappy with the way he’s being utilized.
My professional opinion is that he’s taking too many jumpers. He can make them, but it’s not his most useful skill. I don’t know if he’s doing it on purpose or if the offense is geared to generate them for him. Given his public dissatisfaction, I’d lean towards the latter.
Maybe this game will get him back on track. He only made one jumper tonight, instead doing most of his damage in the post. We need to see this more often. I want hook shots. I demand hook shots. New rule proposal: hook shots now worth three points. Remove the reliance on the three ball and showcase crowd-pleasing fundamentals. Get it done, Adam Silver.