The evolution of the three-pointer and Marc Gasol’s game
When Marc Gasol arrived in the NBA in 2008, basketball was still played in a very different way. The traditional center was a key figure: playing with his back to the basket, scoring in the paint, protecting the rim and leading the defense. And Marc fit that role perfectly. His impact on the Grit & Grind Grizzlies was not only about stats, but about intelligence: reading passing lanes, communicating on defense, protecting the rim, and creating advantages with his passing from the high post 🧱.
But the NBA began to change. The three-pointer stopped being just a resource and became the main offensive weapon. Teams like Golden State showed that spacing the floor and shooting from deep was not only effective… it was dominant. Spacing became essential, and centers had two options: adapt or fall behind.
Marc Gasol didn’t just adapt. He evolved.
Between 2008 and 2015, he barely attempted three-pointers. He was a player of fundamentals, mid-range shots and team play. But starting in the 2016-17 season, his transformation was clear: he went from attempting 0.1 threes per game to more than 3, reaching over 38% accuracy in his best year. A major change for an experienced player with an already defined style.
This change was not only technical or statistical. It was strategic 🧠.
Marc understood that the modern center needed to open the floor, pull defenders out of the paint to create space for teammates, and become a connector who didn’t just finish plays, but also created them. His vision from the top of the key, his reading of defensive help, and his reliable shot made him a unique kind of center.
In Toronto, that evolution was decisive. His role in the 2019 championship was not the most spectacular, but it was essential: quiet leadership, defensive structure, ball movement, and that open three from the top or from the corner that forced defenses to respect him. A center who no longer lived only inside the paint, but could control the rhythm from the perimeter.
His career reflects the transformation of centers in modern basketball:
➡️ From the low post to the perimeter
➡️ From physical impact to tactical impact
➡️ From interior anchor to offensive connector
Marc Gasol didn’t just follow the evolution of the three-pointer.
He understood it, embraced it, and made it part of who he was as a player.
His evolution reminds us that basketball is not only about strength or talent: it is about adaptation, reading the game, and understanding how it changes. The league changes, roles change… and the great players are the ones who see the next step before everyone else. 🔥