Marc Gasol Bests Bryant Reeves as Greatest Memphis Grizzlies Center

Marc Gasol is the best the Memphis Grizzlies have had at center in their first 16 seasons, bar none.  Bryant Reeves and Lorenzen Wright are the only other two Grizzlies centers who started for three or more seasons. 

Wright is dismissed from the conversation when one considers that he never averaged 10 points per game for the Grizzlies. 

Reeves is an interesting comparison since he had a couple of decent seasons for the Grizzlies. 

Reeves was a popular player for fans of all stripes.  Reeves can never be forgotten for his wonderful nickname, "Big Country," which he was given while at Oklahoma State University for remarking during a plane ride about how big the country is.

Also, Reeves is an All-American boy.  He was born the son of a Baptist minister.  Reeves is generally thought to be a nice guy.  Like many Americans, he struggled to keep his weight under control. 

Pound for pound, Gasol is better than Reeves was.

This is an even more basic start to the argument than the statistics.  Gasol is leaner and taller. At 7'1" Gasol is an inch taller than Reeves.  Next, Gasol is only 265 lbs. 

During Reeves' career, his weight fluctuated constantly, going from 295 lbs when the Grizzlies drafted him to 275 at the beginning of the season, then back up to 290 and beyond 300 at some points in his career. 

Good players have the discipline to keep their weight under control.  That is unless that player is named Shaquille O'Neal. 

Anyway, if Gasol were to battle Reeves in the post, he would win.  Besides being leaner, Gasol is longer and quicker than Reeves.  Gasol can make better moves than Reeves ever could.

The statistical edge goes to Gasol.

Gasol can flat out shoot.  Gasol is a 54.5 percent shooter from the field.  In 2009-10, he shot a Grizzlies franchise record 58.1 percent, good for fourth in the league.  That figure is polished with a 61.7 percent true shooting percentage. 

Reeves was only an average shooter.  He shot 47.5 percent from the field, which is unimpressive for a big man.  Only once did he shoot better than 50 percent.

Gasol is a better rebounder than Reeves was.  Gasol has averaged 7.8 rebounds in his career.  Reeves averaged 6.9 rebounds per game.  Gasol's highest rebounding mark, 9.3 per game in 2009-10, is 1.2 higher than Reeves' best.

While Reeves had a higher scoring average than Gasol through three seasons, the Grizzlies have demanded less of Gasol since Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph produce the bulk of the scoring.

The advanced metrics show just how much better Gasol is offensively than Reeves was.

Reeves was only marginally helpful on offense.  In only three of his six seasons did Reeves have a positive number of offensive win shares.  In 1997-98, he topped out at 4.3 offensive win shares. 

Gasol has had three or more offensive win shares in each season, opposed to only one for Reeves.  Gasol had 59 offensive win shares in 2009-10.

Additionally, Gasol has a 59.6 percent career true shooting percentage to Reeves' 51.7 percent mark. Gasol has a 116 offensive rating to Reeves' 101 offensive rating. 

That is the difference between a good offensive player and an average one.

Conclusion:  Gasol's margin will only widen.

As the years roll on, Gasol will become a markedly better player.  He had a down year last season, but will surely improve significantly when the next season rolls around.  More experience will make Gasol a stronger NBA center.  Also, he will gain greater playoff experience.

On the other hand, Reeves didn't improve as he aged.  The weight issues persisted.  Also, he struggled to stay healthy.  In 1999, he developed chronic back pain.  By 2001, his back became so bad that he had to retire.

While Reeves was fun, Gasol is a significantly better player.  Gasol will be interesting to watch as he helps the Grizzlies advance as a franchise and makes his mark in Grizzlies lore.