The New Orleans Pelicans (15-11) are still a work in progress with some big question marks going into the NBA trade season. Literally big, as in 7-foot-0, 265 pounds worth of Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas big. The pros and cons of moving off or keeping the respected veteran seemingly sway in the balance with every win or loss. No matter what happens with his expiring contract, head coach Willie Green and the guys in the locker room know exactly what to expect from their starting center every night.
Pelicans get solid consistency from Jonas Valanciunas
Valanciunas is nothing if not consistent. He finished with 29 points, a season-high, and 13 rebounds in a tougher-than-expected road win over the Charlotte Hornets. It was his 13th double-double of the now 26-game old season. He had 16 points and 18 rebounds against the Washington Wizards two nights before beating the Hornets. More often than not, Valanciunas holds a matchup advantage down on the low block. The Pelicans just have so many other offensive options (Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram) that need the ball in their hands to be effective.
Still, Green decided to feature Valanciunas on half-court offensive sets after Charlotte ruled out starting center Mark Williams due to a back injury. The Pelicans had built a 12-point lead midway through the third quarter but needed Valanciunas (seven fourth-quarter points) to close out the win down the stretch.
The third-year Pelicans head coach, who is now getting to work with a fully healthy roster, said: “(Valanciunas) was excellent. We put the ball in his hands and he made the right play, either scoring or getting to the free throw line 90% of the time. That is something that is a luxury for us. If we don't have it going we can just throw it to JV.”
The Pelicans are currently in a four-way tie for sixth place in the Western Conference. Winning the games you are supposed to win now makes the playoff, and Play-In, battles easier to navigate later. Williamson and Ingram need reps on the ball and with each other, sure. Still, leaning on Valanciunas to plow through the exhausting middle months of the NBA's 82-game schedule is not a bad strategy. One reserve says the big man is to be credited for winning the Charlotte game.
“He's the reason we won,” Jose Alvarado said during a postgame interview session. “He’s a big dude. Nobody can guard him up front in the post. We knew that and took advantage of that.”
2023's close-out schedule favors Jonas Valanciunas
Jonas Valanciunas will have a lot of matchup advantages to finish out the 2023 calendar year. In the most recent win, the 11-year veteran got Charlotte's Nathan Mensah to foul out in a brutal 13 minutes of action for the rookie. Next up is recent first-overall pick Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs. Then comes the Memphis Grizzlies (missing Stephen Adams) followed by a floundering Cleveland Cavaliers squad and second-year sensation Alperen Sengun's Houston Rockets. The Pelicans close out the year with another date against Memphis, the Utah Jazz, and finally the Los Angeles Lakers.
There are weaknesses though, but Valanciunas is still trying to develop a more well-rounded game.
“This league is going to a lot of small ball,” Jose Alvarado admitted. “(Valanciunas) is working. He knows he has to move his feet, knows he has to dominate the paint. I’m excited for him. And I’m excited for him to get this game under him.”
The Pelicans are getting their money's worth of value from Valanciunas, the 19th-highest-paid center. He is seventh in Offensive Rating among centers playing at least 20 minutes per game. Depending on other results, Valanciunas hovers around 30th in Defensive Rating which averages out the 14th-best net rating. He's also 13th in assists percentage, a category topped by Nikola Jokic.
Valanciunas is doing all of that work in only 27.6 minutes per game (26th). Other notable stats include being fourth in Defensive Rebounding, fifth in Total Rebounds, 15th in Turnover Ratio, 13th in Effective Field Goal percentage, 11th in True Shooting percentage, and 10th in Player Impact Estimate.
“He’s a really good player,” Charlotte's coach Steve Clifford said of Valanciunas. “He’s been a good player for a long time. It was evident right in the first quarter there they were going to go to him a lot more than usual. He’s big and he’s physical and he really knows how to play.”
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