3. Marc Gasol: D
A lot of Laker fans would probably give Marc Gasol an F but he was not as bad as people think he was. Gasol still played solid defense, the problem was that his offense was terrible and that is what a lot of NBA fans focus on.
Mix that with the fact that Gasol is a really big name and the expectations were probably a bit too high and you get a player that was extremely disappointing. While he was not as disappointing as some like to believe, he still does not get a passing grade.
The reason being is that Gasol is not what the Lakers wanted him to be. The fact that the team was expecting something else out of Gasol and he did not live up to expectations is all the reason to give him a non-passing grade.
The team obviously expected more out of Gasol and when he was not what the team needed they failed to adjust. Instead, they force-fit Andre Drummond into the team hoping that he could be that rim protector and rebounding presence that the Lakers got out of Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee last season.
That led to Drummond not really understanding the Lakers’ offensive schemes and the team not having a set rotation in place. The Lakers thought they were getting an upgrade in Gasol when really, they just needed the exact same dynamic at the center position that they had the previous season.
I would bet that in hindsight, Pelinka would have kept Dwight Howard, still traded JaVale McGee and signed Montrezl Harrell.