Marc Gasol is having a career season after shaping up his body with a summer regimen. Through 31 games, the 7-0 center from Barcelona, Spain is averaging 15.1 points, 10 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 blocks – all career highs if he can maintain them.

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The following article is courtesy of GrizzTime, the official program of the Memphis Grizzlies – volume 9, issue 3:

Marc Gasol takes it to the next level
There was a buzz at the Grizzlies home offices this summer that center Marc Gasol’s training regimen during the offseason was going to take his game to another level when the 2009-10 regular season rolled around.

He supposedly had a new chiseled frame that made him look like a different player.

When Gasol arrived for media day at the start of the season, it became quickly apparent that not only were the rumors true, but he also seemed to be making a statement by cutting his trademark shaggy locks from last season.

The hair, according to Gasol, does not make the new man, however. Taking the next step as a player by being the ultimate teammate, well that’s a different story.

“I just want to work with my teammates towards our goal, which is winning basketball games,” said Gasol. “I’m not into hair or fashion. I’m just into basketball.”

Gasol’s brilliant play this season has proven that he doesn’t have many distractions. His emergence has solidified him as a major building block for the Grizzlies, right alongside the other young pillars of the team, O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay.

“As a team we are more mature than we were last year,” said Gasol. “We have to come with a mental toughness every night, and we are doing a better job of that.”

The aspect of Gasol’s game that fits in so well with what the Grizzlies are building is the fact that he is so effective when he has the ball in his hands. Last season the All-Rookie Second Team member set a team rookie record by hitting .530 of his attempts from the field.

As impressive as the feat might be for a rookie, in his second season Gasol has become even more efficient from the field.

Gasol’s game has improved so dramatically, that it’s almost a surprise when the league’s leader in field goal percentage for much of the season actually misses. This was never more evident when he broke a franchise record by making 15 consecutive field goals over a two game stretch against the Bucks on Nov. 14 and Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 18.

“The only thing that I care about is that when I made all those shots we won both games,” said Gasol. “If I would have gone 1-of-10 in those games I would have been happy if would have won.”

Not only has the center for the Spanish National Team seen his field goal percentage take a meteoric rise this season, but he’s also seen a spike in his rebounding numbers, going from single digits during the 2008-09 campaign to one of the top ten rebounders in the game this season.

His improved effort on the glass has helped the Grizzlies dominate the boards after being last in the NBA in rebounding in 2008-09. In typical Gasol fashion, he won’t take any of the credit and would rather defer to his new frontcourt partner for the Grizzlies emergence as a dominant team in the post.

“Zach (Randolph) has a lot to do with our success this season,” said Gasol. “He does a great job. He just makes the game a lot easier for me.”

For Randolph, who has seen his share of frontcourt partners over his eight-plus years in the NBA, the feeling is mutual.

“Marc is a very smart player, and he’s improved a lot this year,” said Randolph. “He’s going to keep getting better.”

The improvements in Gasol’s game should have him in most All-Star conversations, as his collective numbers at the center spot rival those of any other player in the league.

Gasol has played so well, in fact, that his numbers this season stack up against some all time greats.  If Gasol can manage to average at least 15 points and 10 rebounds a game, while hitting .600 of his shots he would join Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Artis Gilmore, Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard as the only players in NBA history to achieve the feat.

Many would think that a spot on the All-Star team would validate his development and establish that he has taken the next step as a player, but he’s more concerned with the Grizzlies’ progress as a team than his own.

“What we’re trying to do is improve on last season and take the next step,” Gasol said. “We have to take small steps as a team that take us to the next level, and then from there we can take bigger steps to the next level.”

If Gasol’s play this season is any indication, he’ll be one of the major reasons when the Grizzlies get there.