Jonas Valanciunas is heading into his 8th season in the NBA, and his first full year with the Memphis Grizzlies.
The eminently hirsute big man of the Grizz was traded from his longtime club the Toronto Raptors as part of the Marc Gasol, which seemed to work out well for both sides.
Now, as the NBA continues to become more and more perimeter-oriented, Valanciunas is also embracing the “stretch five” moniker that every big man with good touch must at least flirt with. In a recent practice, Valanciunas was shown camping in the corner and draining triples:
Jonas Valanciunas getting some pregame 3’s up. Going to see a lot more of this this year pic.twitter.com/BVFLDcoqGl
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) October 8, 2019
Though mostly known for his bulk and deft touch around the rim, JV actually has some history as a three-point marksman. In the 2017-18 season, which was the best in franchise history for the Raptors (in terms of regular season success at least), Valanciunas became something of a knockdown threat from deep, delivering a striking 40.5 percent clip from distance with 30 of 74 shooting.
Sure, his 2018-19 campaign was not quite as impactful from behind the line (14 of 48, 29.2%), but he still filled out the stat sheet as a member of the Grizzlies after being traded. Being shipped away from Toronto seemed to light a fire under JV, and he produced striking numbers during his 19-game tenure in Memphis.
Valanciunas finished the season averaging 19.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 blocks in only 27.7 minutes per game with the Grizz on a career-high 31.4 percent usage rate.
Who knows what next season will bring for the seven-footer, but expect more triples to be sure.
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