Moreover, no one else from the team participated in the skills competitions this year; Hansen had to go alone.
The good news was, Little Gasol finally made his comeback after being sidelined for two months.
In the two months without him, even though Hansen pushed his scoring average to over 30 points a game, ranking first in the League, the Grizzlies' record had still slipped significantly compared to the start of the season.
Although they were still in second place, they were now four wins behind the Spurs. The Rockets were hot on their heels, just one win away.
Little Gasol's return had an immediate impact; in a crucial game against the Rockets, he scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists, thoroughly outplaying Vucevic and helping the Grizzlies to clinch the victory.
The Grizzlies took advantage of this momentum to go on a 6-1 run before the All-Star break.
