Marc Gasol Deflects Kyle Kuzma Comments, Content With Contributing To Games

Marc Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers is way past his prime but remains a force inside the paint. Although his performance this season in a purple and gold uniform is far from comforting, he got some unusual lobbying from his teammate, Kyle Kuzma.

In the eyes of the third-year player, Gasol could be a more potent option for the Lakers if head coach Frank Vogel would only give him a chance. Since the arrival of Andre Drummond, Gasol found himself with less playing time, something that has not turned out well for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kuzma pointed out the efficiency that Gasol had over Drummond. While he may have a point, it remains undetermined if that could have helped improve the Lakers’ record right now. The reigning NBA champions find themselves in an uncanny predicament and may end up in the play-in tournament unless they find ways to get things going.

Gasol was unsurprisingly thrown tons of questions to comment on Kuzma’s stance. Rather than delve into it, the 2013 NBA Defensive Player of the Year awardee prefers to take things as they are and focus on contributing to the franchise in any capacity once he is given the chance to take the floor. Rather than focus on individual play, the 6-foot-11 cager believes it would be best to focus on winning that individual playing time.

“I think we have to kind of forget about the players and situations, and individual guys, and think more as a whole about who we’re going to be as a team moving forward,” Gasol stated.

The Lakers campaign is on thin ice, struggling this season with top players LeBron James and Anthony Davis being kept out due to injuries. Davis is back in harness but the same cannot be said for James. The four-time NBA champion re-injured his ankle recently and will be missing at least the next two games per the latest update from Adrian Wojnarowski.

Given that the Lakers are trying to avoid the play-in tournament, the absence of James against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Portland Trail Blazers will be crucial. The Lakers are now in the 5th spot of the Western Conference. However, they are barely sitting on a comfortable lead and are just half a game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks and a game up over the Blazers. They have seven games left in the regular season and cannot let their guard down.