Aside from the matchup with Marc Gasol and the Memphis Grizzlies, Marcin Gortat has been dominant as of late, posting averages of 21 PPG on 79.2%(!) shooting and 10 RPG, in just 30.5 minutes per game in April.

Sure, the Washington Wizards didn’t play against the cream of the crop of the NBA in the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks, but Gortat was very impressive, especially on pick and rolls. Asked about his fantastic came against the 76ers, Gortat simply remarked:

“They were passing me the ball,” Gortat said bluntly. “I was doing the same thing I’m doing every single game and they were just passing the game.”

This inspired a mini-Twitter movement, with the hashtag #FeedMarcin:

While Gortat has likely been frustrated by his lack of 4th quarter playing time, the quote came as a bit of a surprise. John Wall and Gortat have the potential to be one of the best pick and roll duos in the league, and yet they haven’t ran a ton of them this year. According to the numbers, Gortat certainly has a case here of why they should.

According to the NBA tracking data, Gortat receives the fewest amount of passes from Wall among all starters. Beal leads the way, receiving 25% of Wall’s passes, followed by Pierce at 18% and Nene at 14%. Gortat receives just above 13%.

What is most surprising about this however, is how effective Gortat is when Wall passes him the ball. Gortat converts almost 63% of his shots, by far the highest conversion percentage on the team. For comparison, Nene is the next best starter when shooting from passes by Wall, at 53%.

However, Randy Wittman can do a better job of getting Gortat quality looks.

Many possessions begin and end with Gortat isolations, which typically do not end well. He is at his best when rolling to the basket and taking a minimal amount of dribbles. In fact, Gortat shoots 60% when taking 0-1 dribbles. Conversely, when Gortat takes 2 or more dribbles, he shoots under 42%. Avoiding isolation plays and focusing on Gortat’s strengths will work wonders for his confidence.

After Gortat signed a $60 million extension, not many expected him to be regularly sitting 4th quarters and becoming slightly frustrated with his role. With an emphasis on the pick and roll and getting Gortat the ball closer to the basket where he is most effective, there will be less complaints in the locker room and instead more moments like this.