Marc Gasol Credits Weight Loss for Career Year

The resulting weight loss — (Marc) Gasol would not put a number on it — has equipped him to handle a heavier scoring load, which has helped the Grizzlies surge to a league-best 15-2 start and has made Gasol an early candidate for the Most Valuable Player award.

“Losing the weight makes you feel so comfortable; it makes you feel like you can push the whole time,” Gasol said. “You don’t have to take the co-pilot seat and let somebody else take over. You can be on the go most of the game.”

Gasol, the 2012-13 N.B.A. defensive player of the year, is shooting more, getting to the free-throw line more and scoring more — averaging 20.1 points per game, more than 6 above his career average — and he has contributed in myriad ways.

via Billy Witz of The New York Times