As he embarks on his first full season with the Memphis Grizzlies, Jonas Valanciunas wants to form the best frontcourt in the league with Jaren Jackson Jr.
To recall, Valanciunas was traded to the Grizzlies from the Toronto Raptors in February 2019. Over the summer, the Lithuanian center inked a three-year, $45 million deal with the team. This will pave the way for a frontcourt tandem comprised of Valanciunas and second-year big man Jaren Jackson Jr.
For Valanciunas, his partnership with JJJ can accomplish a lot of things, which includes being the best frontcourt in the league.
Article Continues Below“We can be very versatile,” Valanciunas said, per Michael Wallace of Grind City Media. “The goal is to be the best frontcourt in the NBA.”
In 19 games donning the Grizzlies jersey, Valanciunas put up 19.9 points per game on 54.5 percent shooting, along with 10.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists. In the limited amount of games he played, he was quickly seen as a great complement to the 6-foot-11 Jackson Jr.
It certainly helps that the 2018 fourth overall pick puts his team first above any individual milestones.
“That’s just to always compete, be together and get better every day,” Jaren Jackson Jr. said. “If we focus on those three things, we’re going to be fine. Coach talks and preaches about them, and we don’t focus on anything else. Because if you have tunnel vision with your goals and those certain things, everything else will come together.”
With this goal set, will the Valanciunas-Jackson frontcourt be the next big thing in Memphis?