Pau Gasol shows off point-guard skills against Memphis

For better or worse, it appears Lakers forward Pau Gasol remains the team's top point guard.

Derek Fisher officially maintains that role, but aside from his hustle plays, he's hardly provided much this year. Steve Blake remains strong from the outside, but sometimes his lob passes don't hit the intended target. And Darius Morris remains on the team's inactive list because of his inexperience.

So in what became the Lakers' 90-82 victory Sunday over the Memphis Grizzlies, Gasol took charge as point guard on one fast-break play in which he threw a behind-the-back pass to Andrew Bynum. It looked as beautiful as something fellow Spaniard Ricky Rubio might pull off for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"He got his moves from me," Gasol said jokingly. "I'm just kidding — maybe not."

Either way, it at least speaks to Gasol's ability to embrace a facilitating role while Bynum assumes a heavier scoring load. Take it as a statement that the Lakers don't really need Chris Paul.

OK, that's a stretch. But Gasol is hardly entering uncharted territory. As shown in the video below, he once dribbled behind his back and then fired the ball between his legs to former Lakers forward Trevor Ariza for a fast-break dunk.

Said Lakers television analyst Stu Lantz: "There's a point guard in Pau's body that's itching to get out."