It's been easy for casual NBA fans to overlook Jonas Valanciunas this season.
The Toronto Raptors center is coming off the bench for the first time in his career, and has been surpassed in the organization's player hierarchy by All-Star wing Kawhi Leonard and ever-improving forward Pascal Siakam. But Valanciunas has acquitted himself well for the East's second-best team regardless, emerging as a dark horse candidate for Sixth Man of the Year before dislocating his left thumb in December. Fortunately, first-year Raptors coach Nick Nurse told reporters after practice on Monday that the Lithuanian big man is expected to return at some point during his team's upcoming three-game road trip, according to Sportsnet.
Valanciunas suffered the injury in a loss to the Golden State Warriors on December 12th, and underwent corrective surgery the following day. Toronto has played well in his absence, going 15-9, but missed him nevertheless due to the two-way limitations of third-string center Greg Monroe. Valanciunas is a far more threatening roll man than Monroe, and a superior rim-protector by virtue of his sheer size and improved mobility. He's also grown more comfortable launching from beyond the arc this season, attempting 30 three-pointers in as many games played.
“He looks great,” Nurse said of Valanciunas earlier this week, per Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling. “We had a little live scrimmage the other day, and it’s just a good reminder of how important his size is sometimes. You see him grabbing every defensive rebound and protecting the rim — it just makes us look bigger and longer, right away, when he hits the floor.”
Toronto begins its three-game trek on Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. If healthy to play, Valanciunas would play a key role in the Raptors' efforts to slow down Philadelphia superstar Joel Embiid.
Follow Us
Subscribe