Image courtesy of thirdquartercollapse.com.
So I have secretly been a Marcin Gortat fan ever since the Magic brought him over from Poland a few summers ago for a summer league game. I have actually been a huge proponent of the big man relegated to the bench -- think Steven Hunter, Mario Kasun and Andrew Declerq.
But Gortat has been different in his time with Orlando. Beside the fact that he is playing.
The second year player had a career night last night in Oakland, Calif., with 16 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. He has played well when given the opportunity and has filled in adequately for Dwight Howard. I would expect him to get more minutes as the season goes on.
But something Gortat has done that those other big men did not was provide some energy off the bench. He is one of the team's biggest cheerleaders.
Watch him the next time he is on the bench. He is one of the first guys standing after a big play and fighting for the team... from the bench.
His dunks and blocked shots are always energy plays. He does not have a lot of skills, and he looks real goofy doing the things he does well. But Gortat is putting himself in the Magic rotation by providing that intangible very few can.
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