NBA Pokemon: Marc Gasol is Exeggutor

Marc Gasol is one of the best players in the NBA, but it didn’t always look like he would be.

Gasol was a piece in the trade that sent his brother to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Memphis was mocked at the time for making the deal. Gasol was a huge project, and looked like he might never become a useful NBA player.

Then, lo and behold, Gasol transformed into one of the best players in the league. Yet, still today, he never is mentioned in the same breath as other elite players. He’s often left off lists of the 15 or 20 best players in the league, which is absurd. Perhaps because he doesn’t look the part or his game isn’t what you’d expect, but Gasol is one of the best players in the league, and he should be thought of as such.

His trajectory in the league reminds me of Exeggutor. Gasol never seemed like he’d be a major player in the league; Exeggutor started out as a bunch of eggs. Not a bunch of eggs on a body or anything mind you; Exeggcute is just a bunch of eggs with faces. It could not appear less threatening.

Then, once it evolved, Exeggutor became an elite Pokemon. How many others can boast the combination of tactical grass moves and the sheer domination of psychic power?

Yet, most never list Exeggutor as a Pokemon that they want. It’s not particularly cool-looking, and it doesn’t do anything that jumps off the page. But when you delve into Exeggcutor’s abilities, it could fit in almost any lineup and be productive, just like Gasol.

Exeggutor also doesn’t attack how you’d expect. It’s an enormous Pokemon, and you’d expect it to be a physical brute. Surely, Exeggutor can be physical when necessary, such as when it uses stomp. But its best ability is using finesse grass attacks and being effective with its mind.

This is also similar to Gasol. He looks like he’d be a bruiser down low, and he certainly can be. But what separates Gasol from the rest of the bigs is his finesse game and his passing. He’s much quicker on his feet than he looks, and his court vision makes it seem like he’s telepathic at times. His passing for a big man is rivaled by very few, and that’s what truly makes him special.

Did I mention Gasol is listed at 265 lbs. and Exeggutor is listed as 264.6 lbs? Exeggutor is a greek yogurt away from being the exact same weight as Gasol! These two could not be more alike.

So, please, when listing off the elite Pokemon you want in your lineup, don’t forget to include Exeggcutor. And when thinking of the best players in the league, don’t forget the big man from Spain.