Jonas Valanciunas Articles - Page 4

If you’ll allow for a food analogy this Monday before Thanksgiving, the NBA season is nowhere near baked done but 14 games is enough to get the smells circulating through the kitchen. Specific lineups are still working with small sample sizes but some spicy trends are starting to emerge. Well, it seems the New Orleans […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have gotten off to a 1-0 start to the 2023-24 NBA season after an impressive road win against the Memphis Grizzlies in their season opener. They were led by Zion Williamson who is looking healthy and spry and could be a potential MVP candidate. The one thing that’s been holding the […]

On paper, the New Orleans Pelicans are supposed to have one of the deepest frontcourt in the league. Guys like Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Jonas Valanciunas should be able to deliver more than any other big-man combinations. But, it seems like they have been falling short in the NBA Preseason and it is not […]

The New Orleans Pelicans’ offseason was rather uneventful. Despite plenty of noise surrounding Zion Williamson around the NBA Draft, the Pelicans didn’t do much of anything this offseason. The only real addition they made to their team was adding Cody Zeller on a minimum contract after losing Jaxson Hayes in free agency, who bolted New […]

The Toronto Raptors entered the NBA as part of the league’s efforts to expand the game into Canada. Since then, they have become one of the best-ran organizations in the NBA. Throughout its history, the Raptors have done well in the NBA Draft. Toronto has found gems late in the first round and has selected […]

With the semi-finals set for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, let’s not forget the 5 to 8 classification bracket that will take over Thursday’s slate of games, which includes a showdown between Lithuania and Slovenia. Check out our FIBA World Cup odds series for our Lithuania-Slovenia prediction and pick. Lithuania bowed out of the tournament following […]

Jonas Valanciunas has established himself as one of the most imposing starting centers in the NBA. But while Valanciunas has been solid in the NBA, it’s safe to say that the Lithuanian big man does more damage on the international stage, especially after leading his country to a major upset over Team USA in the […]

It was never going to be an easy FIBA World Cup run for Team USA. The team was just formed weeks before the tournament and it showed against a ruthless Lithuania team led by Jonas Valanciunas. Hero ball reigned supreme in the last minutes of the game as the Red, White, and Blue tried to […]

After going undefeated in the group stage of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the United States outlasted Montenegro 85-73 in a challenging contest. Team USA is set for probably its toughest challenge to this point when it takes on Lithuania Sunday. Both Team USA and Lithuania are headed to the World Cup quarterfinals next […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have been involved in plenty of trade rumors this offseason but if any persist, they don’t surround face of the franchise Zion Williamson, but seldom-used point guard Kira Lewis Jr. and starting center Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas, the No. 5 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, has spent the last two seasons […]

Jonas Valanciunas is in, but Domantas Sabonis is not part of the Lithuania squad which looks to take the upcoming FIBA World Cup by storm from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10. Sabonis, the son of Lithuanian basketball legend Arvydas, could have been the national team’s main man for this World Cup as he led the […]

The NBA offseason is in full swing baby! Already, we’ve had a couple of blockbuster trades, such as Bradley Beal heading to the Phoenix Suns. However, the more exciting trades happen under the radar. Solid role players start to be shopped for other players in the name of improving their rosters. The New Orleans Pelicans […]

The New Orleans Pelicans, after weeks of such strong play, faltered when it mattered most. Instead of capitalizing on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ self-destruction, the Pelicans instead imploded en route to a 113-108 defeat. And now, they find themselves in a win or go home situation in the 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament against the nascent Oklahoma […]

The New Orleans Pelicans’ winning ways continued on Saturday evening, as they pulled out a stellar victory against the Los Angeles Clippers in front of a packed crowd at Smoothie King Center. Leading the charge once again was star forward Brandon Ingram who finished the contest with a whopping 36 points, 8 assists, and 4 […]

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas didn’t make much of an impact in Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic. He finished with just eight points — on 2-for-4 shooting from the field — and five rebounds in the 101-93 Pelicans loss. Still, when the Pelicans visit the Mode Center on Wednesday night to play Damian […]

The return of Zion Williamson may have taken the New Orleans Pelicans to an entirely different level, but it has severed Jonas Valanciunas’ involvement in the offense. However, at least for one night, Valanciunas staked his claim for a higher place in the Pelicans’ offensive hierarchy with an incredible scoring night, against the second-ranked defense […]

NBA players in today’s generation often get called, “soft.” However, it is typically fans or old-heads who refer to them in this manner. They are quick to call out today’s star-studded generation of players for flopping and complaining about calls. But a current NBA player recently called out LeBron James. New Orleans’ Pelicans big man […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have hung tough against the top seeded Phoenix Suns thus far in their first round playoff series. Granted, some of that is likely due to the absence of Devin Booker. Booker suffered a grade 1 hamstring strain in Game 2 of the series, opening the door for the Pelicans to steal […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the biggest surprises of this year’s playoffs. Despite their 36-46 record in the regular season, the Pelicans have seemingly peaked at the right time and are playing their best basketball of late. They enter Game 5 tied 2-2 in their series with the Phoenix Suns. This is […]

The eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans shocked the world on Tuesday night, upsetting the NBA-best Phoenix Suns in Game 2 to tie up the first-round series at 1-1. The win makes things more interesting by itself, but Devin Booker’s hamstring injury adds another layer of intrigue as he appears set to miss time. What once looked like […]

The New Orleans Pelicans were completely outclassed by the Phoenix Suns. There’s no beating around the bush surrounding that fact. Despite mounting a third-quarter comeback to cut the lead to eight, Chris Paul shut down their hopes with a crazy 4th quarter run. It was clear from the get-go that these two teams were on […]

Nearly a week after the conclusion of regular season, the Phoenix Suns finally know their opponent for the first round of the NBA Playoffs. They’ll take on the New Orleans Pelicans in a best-of-seven series beginning Sunday night, after the Pelicans took out the Los Angeles Clippers in Friday’s play-in game. While the Suns will […]

Fresh off their big win over the San Antonio Spurs, the News Orleans Pelicans are riding high as they head into their highly anticipated showdown with the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament on Friday. In their continued fight to earn the final spot in the Western Conference Playoffs, the Pelicans will […]

The New Orleans Pelicans made some major moves at the trade deadline to surround franchise star, Zion Williamson, with more help once he comes back from injury, despite all the recent drama. They went out and acquired a proven player in CJ McCollum from the Portland Trail Blazers while shipping off several pieces in return. […]

Various NBA players have already expressed their support to Ukraine following the invasion of Russia. On Wednesday night, the entire New Orleans Pelicans showed solidarity for Ukraine by making a simple yet touching gesture in their home game against the Sacramento Kings. The Pelicans wore yellow socks and blue jerseys as a tribute to the […]

The Portland Trail Blazers’ surprising recent surge sans Damian Lillard, thankfully, may not prevent them from making a major deal at the trade deadline after all. According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the New Orleans Pelicans have shown interest in acquiring C.J. McCollum leading up to February 10th. Portland would reportedly receive a package […]

Fred VanVleet’s magical run continued Sunday evening in the Toronto Raptors 105-101 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, but it wasn’t the easiest chapter in his season’s story. Entering the fourth quarter of a tight game against the Pelicans, VanVleet was having one of his tougher shooting nights. Even with the defense keyed in on […]

On Thursday, the Golden State Warriors played the New Orleans Pelicans without stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Since the team was short-handed, rookie Jonathan Kuminga got extended playing time at Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans have one of the most dominant centers in the NBA with Jonas Valanciunas, and Kuminga had to defend him […]

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas has opened up about the motivation behind his sudden insane three-point shooting. Adapting has become a necessity in today’s NBA and Pelicans’ Jonas Valanciunas is well aware of it. Now playing his 10th season in the league, the big fella has found a new haven–the three-point area. Valanciunas has […]

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas has made a name for himself in the NBA as a bruiser down low in the paint. However, Valanciunas made waves for his historic three-point shooting against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night. Valanciunas channeled his inner Dirk Nowitzki with the performance. Quick story on ‘Dirk Valanciunas’ and […]

There haven’t been many bright spots for the New Orlean Pelicans this season. They’re without their Superstar Zion Williamson and have started the year with a 1-7 record. When you dive into the numbers for the Pelicans it makes sense that they’re struggling. They’re scoring the 23rd least amount of points in the NBA, and […]

After being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in the offseason, Jonas Valanciunas has now signed a two-year extension with the franchise to stick around for the the foreseeable future. New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas has agreed on a two-year extension worth $30.1 million, his agents Aaron Mintz, Mitch Nathan and Drew Morrison of […]

The New Orleans Pelicans completed another disappointing season, failing to reach the Playoffs for the third year in a row and the fifth time in six years. However, there is hope in Louisiana, as forward Zion Williamson finally played an extended number of minutes, without any major restrictions. Going forward, the Pelicans will need to […]

The first blockbuster trade ahead of the NBA Draft has gone down between the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies. They have agreed to a deal that will send center Jonas Valanciunas and picks 17 and 51 in the draft to the Pelicans for Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, the 10th and 40th picks in the […]

The Memphis Grizzlies basically traded Jonas Valanciunas in order to move up in the 2021 NBA Draft. With that said, all the questions have been what they plan to do with the higher pick. After all, they must really like whom they can select in the Top 10 that they’re willing to even part ways […]

The Memphis Grizzlies may have suffered an early exit in the 2021 playoffs, but their future certainly looks bright. Aside from Ja Morant who has established himself as a true star in the 2020-21 season, they also have center in Jonas Valanciunas who seems to be hitting his peak. Morant took notice of that as […]

No less than three Utah Jazz fans were handed lifetime bans for heckling the family of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant in their Game 2 matchup on Wednesday. Morant himself has called out the fans in question while also taking a shot at the Utah fanbase for their reputation of being overly rowdy during home […]

Ja Morant is the Memphis Grizzlies’ motor. Now the team has found its X-factor enhancing the play of its point guard and the team as a whole: Dillon Brooks. Brooks has been a vital part of the equation for the Grizzlies over the last two years, but he has hit his stride over the last […]

Game 2 between the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies went about as expected with Donovan Mitchell coming back into the lineup. The Jazz played much more fluently and kept the lead throughout the entire game. However, the Grizzlies now have a taste for how Utah plays with its star guard. With a few adjustments, Memphis […]