Marc Gasol finding his comfort zone with Raptors

Leading into the trade deadline, the Raptors‘ biggest splash was the acquisition of veteran center Marc Gasol. The three-time All-Star has appeared in four games with Toronto, all off the bench.

After more than a decade in Memphis, Gasol has had to adjust to a new team, a new country and learning a new playbook. Speaking to SportsNet’s Dave Zarum, Gasol explained how he has adjusted to his new surroundings.

“We’ve had three games with three different point guards (Fred VanVleet, Patrick McCaw and Jeremy Lin). That alone is an adjustment within the adjustment that you have to make on the fly,” Gasol said. “Thankfully, I know now 100 percent all of the plays. OK, 90 percent of the plays. But I know them pretty well, so now it’s trying to understand what the team is looking for. How can I be effective within the flow of the game?”

Gasol admitted it was tough to part with the Grizzlies but the opportunity to compete for a championship eases that burden. In his four appearances, the Spaniard has played just under 20 minutes per game, averaging 8.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG. As he becomes more acclimated to his new digs, Gasol expects his contributions to increase.

“I’m not a rah-rah guy, I’m not somebody who will get into anybody’s business,” Gasol said. “I’m pretty laid back and I stay in my lane a lot. But I want to win. At the end of the day it’s about winning and competing and making this team the best possible.”

Check out more Raptors notes below:

DeMar DeRozan played his first game at Air Canada Centre as a visitor on Friday with the Spurs. The former face of the franchise has detailed his roller-coaster emotions following last summer’s trade but his return to Toronto was about acceptance rather than vengeance, ESPN’s Michael C. Wright writes.
The Raptors have been a perennial playoff team who have been on the verge of a potentially championship-winning run. However, under team president Masai Ujiri this season, Toronto has shown the willingness to make shrewd moves to put the franchise on the brink of a title, reports Lang Green of Basketball Insiders.
Speaking of Ujiri — the first African top executive of any of the top four major U.S. sports — his initiative to help those on his home continent has become part of his basketball goals, says ESPN’s Anthony Olivieri.