WHILE the Toronto Raptors did well before the season suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic, Marc Gasol was frustrated he wasn’t able to deliver as expected.
Hampered by hamstring issues, Gasol was far from the big man that helped lift the Raptors to the championship.
He looks ready to change that after arriving in Orlando leaner, and showing in recent practice he could be meaner.
Gasol would not say how much weight he lost, but the Raptors are pleased to see the 35-year-old frontcourt man looking in top form despite the lack of match practice.
"It was a frustrating season for me personally because I could never get a rhythm and help the team the way that I should be helping the team," Gasol said in a report by cbc.ca.
Gasol did great during the covid-19 shutdown, and the frontcourt man listed at 255-lbs. at season start arrived at the Disney Resort in Florida looking much lighter.
"Obviously when you're at home, everything is a lot easier than when you're on the road and travelling and trying to make everything work and winning games, which at the end of the day, that's what you're judged for," he said.
The Raptors are running second in the Eastern Conference behind the Milwaukee Bucks.
NBA scrimmages have been set, with the Raptors facing the Houston Rockets on July 24, the Portland Trail Blazers on July 26 and the Phoenix Suns on July 28, two days before the NBA season resumes.
The Utah Jazz face the New Orleans Pelicans in the first game, followed by the match between the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers.
Toronto’s first game of the NBA restart is on Aug. 1 against the Lakers.
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