Marc Gasol is reminding a lot of Grizzlies fans of his older brother Pau who used to play for them when he first came to the U.S. from Spain. The difference between the two brothers is that Marc is tougher around the basket. Gasol has played in 4 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies so far this season and he is averaging 34.8 minutes, 19.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.5 blocked shots per game. The Grizzlies are pleased with Gasol’s offense but they really hope he keeps up the good work on the glass and on defense because almost all of the other starters on the team are offense first players.

Hakim Warrick might not be getting much playing time this season but he’s making the most of it. He is shooting the ball extremely well from the floor as he is hitting 51%. Warrick has played in 26 games this season for the Grizzlies and he is averaging 13.5 minutes, 7.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. Warrick would be ready to step in and start if one of the forwards are injured.

Mike Miller, Rudy Gay and Pau Gasol have all been outstanding so far in December. Miller has played in 5 games this month and he is averaging 37.2 minutes, 18.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He also is shooting an amazing 55.7% from the floor in December. Rudy Gay is averaging 42.4 minutes, 23.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. He also is shooting well in December as he’s hitting 52.8% from the floor. Pau Gasol has been really tough also. He has played in 5 games and he is averaging 17.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. The Grizzlies will start winning more games as long as their “Big Three” keep playing like they are right now.

Rudy Gay’s game has improved big time in his second season so far and it has given the Grizzlies a third scorer in the offense and that has helped them out. Gay has played in 15 games this season and he has averaged 33.5 minutes, 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. If Gay keeps playing at this level the Grizzlies could be a surprise team in the NBA this season.

By the time Pau Gasol’s season started the Grizzlies were already done competing for the playoffs. Gasol played in 59 games last season and he averaged 36.2 minutes, 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. He also shot well from the floor (53.8%) and the free throw line (74.8%), but he wasn’t too good at 3-point shooting as he only hit 27.3%. Look for Gasol to lead the young Grizzlies to a much better season next year.

Gasol improved his career averages in almost every category after the 2006-07 season that he had. In 437 career games, Gasol has averaged 35.4 minutes, 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. His shooting percentages all went up too. He is now shooting 51% from the floor, 22% from the three-point line and 72.4% from the free throw line. Look for Gasol’s career numbers to keep improving as he’s the best player on the Grizzlies entire roster.

The last two weeks the Grizzlies decided to give a couple of their rookies more playing time and the players have responded. Tarance Kinsey didn’t get much playing time until the last couple of weeks and he has really played well. In his last 7 games, Kinsey has averaged 19.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.9 steals per game. Kinsey looks like he’s a keeper for the future of the Grizzlies. Rudy Gay has also seen his playing time go up and he’s also showing that he’s a keeper. In his last 6 games, Gay has averaged 15.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. He should be a starter without a doubt for the Grizzlies next season.

The Grizzlies have been giving Hakim Warrick a lot of playing time the last two weeks and he’s playing very well. Warrick has been very good in his last 7 games as he has averaged 17.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He also has made 57.1% of his shots from the floor. Warrick has big-time skills and he really has some hops so the Grizzlies need to get him some more playing time starting next season.

Pau Gasol has been dominating lately. In his last 7 games he’s averaging 38.4 minutes, 20.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. Gasol is also shooting 53.5% from the floor. The only negative for the Grizzlies is that Gasol is sick of losing and has requested a trade.

When the new coach took over for the Grizzlies one of the first things he did was increase the playing time of Stromile Swift and that has proved to be a good move. Swift is averaging 31.0 minutes per game over his last 4. He has shot 60% in those games, and has averaged 17.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.8 blocks! Swift will continue to get big minutes as long as he keeps producing. He always has had the talent to produce like this, but sometimes his head wasn’t in it.

Mike Miller is really having a good season. He’s averaging 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game so far this season. Miller has a fine all-around game and he’s a good shooter. Miller has been their best player while Pau Gasol was out, but now he can slide into his more comfortable role of #2 scorer.