FCBARCELONA.CAT

19.06.2008 13:13

A year among the stars

Jordi Clos

Juan Carlos Navarro has dealt handsomely with the challenge of playing among the best players in the world. Despite some problems, he has made a name for himself in the NBA.

On October 31, 2007, Juan Carlos Navarro’s dream came true when he made his NBA debut, appearing for the Memphis Grizzlies alongside his friend Pau Gasol, although his rights were in possession of the Washington Wizards. He scored 9 points in 17 minutes in his first game, against San Antonio Spurs and his American adventure was on the way.

Gaining the confidence of Iavaroni

Marc Iavaroni, head coach, started to realise he had a star in the making, especially with Navarro’s three point skills. He scored 8/9 in a December game from beyond the line, equalling the record for a rookie. Playing in a team with the likes of Miki Conley, Rudy Gay and Mike Miller, he won a regular place in the starting five, but the team’s results were somewhat irregular.

All-Star

His performances earned him a spot in the All Star Rookie match between new stars of this year and of the previous one, what are called the 'sophomores', following in the footsteps of compatriots Pau Gasol and Jorge Garbajosa. He played well, and was the third highest scorer in the game with 14 points.

Traumatic loss of Gasol

Losing Gasol to the Lakers was a major blow to Memphis, and without their franchise player, Navarro had also lost a good friend and influence. It was downhill from there on for Memphis and they ended the regular season second last in the Western Conference with a poor 22-60 record.

Historic achievement

But although his team was failing to impress, Juan Carlos Navarro did. In 82 games in his rookie season, he scored an average 10.9 points in an average 25.8 minutes a game. And his 156 triples were an outstanding achievement, the second highest number ever registered by a first year player.