The Top 50

#31 - Pau Gasol
Probably the epitome of an excellent player who isn’t a franchise guy, Pau spent years of futility as The Man in Memphis, only to reach the Finals in his first season as a second option in LA. His first trip through the postseason (having bricked every attempt at a single playoff win with the Grizzlies) began smoothly as he completely annihilated Denver, but got bumpier as several weeks of gruelling basketball took a toll on his body. By the time he faced Boston, Gasol was soft, tentative, and routinely would completely disappear from games (KG’s been known to do this to people from time to time). The final two series were performances that belie his true ability, but nonetheless a letdown in what was, despite his FIBA conquests, the most important ball of his life.

A skilled 7-footer with a nice touch around the hoop, Pau’s a good passer who also defends better than most. He plays smart He’ll never be superstar but he’s been a consistent just under 20-10 guy his whole career and, Finals aside, adjusted to Kobe’s backseat nicely; he’ll have very legit shots at the All-Star Game and the Larry O next year. Hopefully his lanky frame can hold itself up for the whole season though; after the Playoffs and Olympics, he’ll have played more ball this year than any.